Abstract: The ultrafine Ni-Cu-Co-La, being employed as an efficient catalyst for hydrogenation of acetonitrile to ethylamine, was prepared by co-reduction of the mixed solution of NiCl2•6H2O, CuSO4•5H2O, CoCl2•6H2O, and LaCl3•7H2O using hydrazine hydrate and potassium borohydride.X-raydiffraction,X-rayphotoelectron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and temperature-programmed desorption were used for the characterization of the catalyst. It was found that Cu, Co, and La showed the positive effects on acetonitrile conversion and ethylamine yield. Under the conditions of 1.8 MPa, 120 ℃, and1 h, the conversion of acetonitrile and the selectivity for ethylamine reached 100% and 98.24%, respectively. For the hydrogenation of acetonitrile to ethylamine, the ultrafine Ni-Cu-Co-La catalyst exhibited higher activity and selectivity than other types of catalysts, such as Ni-B amorphous alloy, Co-B amorphous alloy, and Raney Ni catalyst.

Key words: liquid catalytic hydrogenation, nickel, copper, cobalt, lanthanum, acetonitrile, ethylamine