The synthesis of 1-butylpyrrolidine and its derivatives (1-butylpyrrolidine
with a little of 1-butenylpyrrolidines) was developed
via a one-pot method from ammonia and 1,4-butandiol. Here, the
product of 1-butylpyrrolidine was emphatically investigated, and
the yield was 76% under the optimized conditions. Such a route was
realized through successive N-alkylation using aqueous ammonia
as the nitrogen source over the CuNiPd/ZSM-5 catalyst, which
was prepared by a simple incipient wetness method. In this route,
1,4-butandiol not only participated in the formation of the
N-heterocycle, but also acted as an alkylating reagent. This work
offers a straightforward, economical route for 1-butylpyrrolidine
and its derivatives.