An efficient noble-metal-free supported copper catalyst for selective nitrocyclohexane hydrogenation to cyclohexanone oxime.

It was shown for the first time that cyclohexanone oxime (CHO) can be selectively produced by heterogeneous copper-catalyzed hydrogenative transformation of nitrocyclohexane (NC). The combination of Cu0 and Cu+ and their cooperative interaction with weakly acidic SiO2 supports elicited a significantly unique and selective catalysis in the hydrogenation of NC to CHO.