Copper‐aluminium hydrotalcite (CuAl‐HT)/K2CO3 has been employed in the activation of various benzyl alcohols with benzylamines to afford the corresponding amines in good to high yields. Experimentation showed that the reaction takes place through sequential transformations: the oxidation of alcohols into carbonyl compounds, imine formation between amines and carbonyl compounds, and then reduction ofimines to amines, heterogeneously catalyzed by non‐noble Cu‐Al HT catalyst in a one‐pot and straightforward fashion. The process was further extended to amination of alcohols with anilines, which are often resistant to alkylation reactions when substituted with strong electron‐withdrawing groups. (© Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2009)

An efficient and simple process for the preparation of stable nanocopper(0) on alumina [Cu(0)/Al2O3] from the inorganic composite precursor copper aluminum hydrotalcite (Cu‐Al HT) by a chemical reduction method is described. Cu(0)/Al2O3 was employed as an efficient catalyst in the acceptor‐ and oxidant‐free dehydrogenation of various amines and alcohols to their corresponding dehydrogenated products in good to excellent yields. The stability of Cu(0)/Al2O3 was assessed by studying its recoverability and reusability in the dehydrogenation of amines and alcohols for up to five cycles.magnified image

Depending on the conditions the reaction of tris(trimethylsilyl)methoxysilane (1) with potassium tert-butoxide either in benzene and in the presence of 18-crown-6 or in THF gives either the crown ether adduct of potassium-methoxybis(trimethylsilyl)silane (2), or 2-methoxytetrakis(trimethylsilyl)disilanyl potassium (3).

Trifunctional N,N,O-terdentate amido/pyridyl carboxylate Pd(II) complexes were highly active and stable phosphine-free catalysts for Heck and room-temperature Suzuki reactions with high turnover numbers up to ca. 10(4).