Constructing Amine Functionality from N2 via an Iron Nitride-Mediated Chemical Looping Pathway

Amines are commonly synthesized through the amination of organooxygenates using ammonia, frequently involving the use of noble metal catalysts. In this study, we first present an alternative route to make amines using iron nitride (Fe2.5N) as the nitrogen source. Without any additional catalyst, Fe2.5N reacts with a range of alcohols at 250 °C under 1 or 10 bar H2 to produce amines as major products. Mechanistic investigations indicate that hydrogen activates the nitrogen species within iron nitride, converting them into surface NH and NH2 groups that then react with alcohols to form amines. Building on this foundation, we further demonstrated an iron nitride-mediated chemical looping pathway that utilizes N2 as the nitrogen source to synthesize octylamines. In this process, N2 first reacts with iron to form FexN, which subsequently reacts with alcohols to yield amines, transferring over 80% of the nitrogen to organic compounds. This looping process remained stable across four cycles.