Reductive Amination of 2-Amino-2-methyl-1-propanol and Ammonia to Produce 2-Methyl-1,2-propanediamine over Raney Nickel Catalyst

The selective synthesis of 2-methyl-1,2-propyldiamine (MPDA) directly from 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol (AMP) and ammonia via one-pot reaction is reported for the first time. The effects of catalyst species and reaction variables on the synthetic performance of MPDA were systematically studied. In contrast to other catalysts, a high MPDA selectivity of 88.3% and AMP conversion of 45.6% were obtained over Raney Ni catalyst. The components of the final reaction mixtures were particularly dependent on the initial hydrogen pressure and stirring speed. Furthermore, a possible mechanism of the reaction was proposed on the basis of experimental results, which has great implications in the development of more efficient and higher selectivity catalysts.