Integration of Multifunctional Catalytic Sites for Selective Reductive Amination of Furfural Derivatives: Recent Advances in Strategies for Improved Biomass Valorization.

The catalytic reductive amination of furfural derivatives offers a promising route for the synthesis of bio-amines, benefitting sustainable polymer and pharmaceutical industries. Yet achieving a high selectivity of (di)amine remains challenging due to much complex reaction networks and competitive pathways. This focused review summarizes recent advances in strategies for improved biomass valorization through integration of multifunctional active sites for selective reductive amination of furfural derivatives. Three core aspects are summarized and commented, that is, (i) distinctive adsorption mode of substrate, (ii) effective dissociation of hypobaric H2, and (iii) independent activation of NH3. In addition, this focused review proposes the challenges in diamine synthesis and provides the strategies for catalyst design. By getting insights into catalytic mechanism and active site construction, a bright prospect can be foreseen in the near future for more sophisticated valorization of biomass resources.