Easily Synthesized Ru Catalyst Efficiently Converts Carbonyl Compounds and Ammonia into Primary Amines

Abstract An easily synthesized ruthenium(II) complex was developed for the direct reductive amination of both aldehydes and ketones with H 2 and ammonia. The intramolecular carboxylate‐assisted hydrogenation fashion was found compatible with the amination between carbonyl substrates and ammonia, enabling a high selectivity toward primary amines. Varied primary amines were obtained with a turnover numbers (TON) up to 376.