Unsymmetrical indazolyl-pyridinyl-triazole ligand-promoted highly active iridium complexes supported on hydrotalcite and its catalytic application in water

Herein, an indazolyl-pyridinyl-triazole ligand was synthesized and its iridium complex supported on hydrotalcite was characterized via X-ray power diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). This new heterogeneous catalyst bearing the unsymmetrical indazolyl-pyridinyl-triazole ligand exhibits high catalytic activity in water. Both functionalized amines and imines were obtained from the challenging selective reaction of benzylamines with arylamines through transfer hydrogenation and dehydrogenation under clean conditions. In particular, it was observed that this catalyst system showed good recovery performance in water. Mechanistic studies showed that this transformation occurs via amine dehydrogenation, hydrolysis and condensation processes. The direct capture of the reaction intermediate provides sufficient proof for this process.