Direct reductive amination of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural with primary/secondary amines via Ru-complex catalyzed hydrogenation

In this work, the complex dichlorobis(2,9-dimethyl-1,10-phenanthroline)ruthenium(II) (Ru(DMP)(2)Cl-2) was found to effectively catalyze the direct reductive amination of bio-based 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) in the presence of H-2 (g) in ethanol solvent. Good product yields (66-95%) were obtained from a broad substrate scope of primary and secondary amines.