Reductive amination of bio-platform molecules to nitrogen-containing chemicals

Abstract Catalytic transformation of renewable biomass into value-added chemicals is an appealing strategy to upgrade biomass resources. Due to the presence of abundant oxygen-containing groups such as hydroxyl and aldehyde, biomass and its derived platform molecules have been served as ideal starting feedstock to synthesize valuable N-containing chemicals through reductive amination. In this mini review, we overviewed the recent advances in the reductive amination of several key bio-platform molecules including hydroxyl carboxylic acids, furfural, 5-hydroxylmethyl furfural and levulinic acid, with a focus on the production of amino acids, furan amines and pyrrolidones using thermocatalysis, electrocatalysis or photocatalysis. Moreover, the functions of active sites and the reaction mechanisms in different catalytic systems are discussed to get insights into the key factors in the reductive amination of biomass resources.