Direct Synthesis of Primary Amines via Ruthenium‐Catalysed Amination of Ketones with Ammonia and Hydrogen

A highly selective reductive amination of ketones to primary amines with ammonia and hydrogen using a simple ruthenium catalyst has been developed. The protocol described constitutes an efficient and direct atom‐economical approach en route to α‐methylbenzylamine derivatives in good to high yields. The presence of catalytic amounts of aluminum triflate turned out to be crucial for achieving high conversion towards primary amines. magnified image