CC BY-NC 4.0 UnportedCui, XinjiangLi, WuJunge, KathrinFei, ZhaofuBeller, MatthiasDyson, Paul J.2021-09-022021-09-022020https://oa.tib.eu/renate/handle/123456789/6663https://doi.org/10.34657/5710Core–shell nanocatalysts are attractive due to their versatility and stability. Here, we describe cobalt nanoparticles encapsulated within graphitic shells prepared via the pyrolysis of a cationic poly-ionic liquid (PIL) with a cobalt(II) chloride anion. The resulting material has a core–shell structure that displays excellent activity and selectivity in the self-dehydrogenation and hetero-dehydrogenation of primary amines to their corresponding imines. Furthermore, the catalyst exhibits excellent activity in the synthesis of secondary imines from substrates with various reducible functional groups (C=C, C≡C and C≡N) and amino acid derivatives. © 2020 The Authors. Published by Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA.enghttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/540aminescobaltdehydrogenationheterogeneous catalysisiminesArticle