N-alkylation of Amines by Ruthenium Supported on Mordenite and Y Zeolite

N-alkylation of different amines with benzyl alcohol in the presence of easily prepared heterogeneous catalysts based on ruthenium hydroxide supported on zeolite NaY and Mordenite were investigated. All the reactions showed moderate to excellent yields especially for aliphatic primary amines without the addition of any co-catalysts such as bases and stabilizing ligands. Primary amines were converted into a mixture of secondary and tertiary amines, while secondary amines were unreactive under our experimental conditions. Catalysts were recovered after the reaction and reused without considerable loss of catalytic activities for the N-alkylation of benzyl alcohol and characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, BET volumetric surface area measurements, TEM and SEM microscopies.