Cooperative dehydrogenation of N-heterocycles using a carbon nanotube-rhodium nanohybrid.

Rhodium nanoparticles were anchored on carbon nanotubes and the resulting nanohybrid was studied as co-catalyst, along with tert-butylcatechol, for the dehydrogenation of various N-heterocycles. The co-catalytic system operates in high yields, under the mildest conditions reported so far, and can be applied to a wide variety of secondary amine-containing scaffolds.