Chakrabortty, SoumyadeepMoritz, Jan OleKallmeier, FabianNeumann, HelfriedTin, SergeyBeller, Matthiasde Vries, Johannes G.2026-07-052026-07-051867-3880ORCID:/0000-0001-7073-2766/work/219173128https://hdl.handle.net/1885/733813006The reductive amination of levulinic and 2-acetyl benzoic acids with hydrogen and various amines proceeds efficiently in the presence of a homogeneous Ni/triphos-catalyst. The reaction rate of the overall process is significantly enhanced using 3,3,3-trifluoroethanol (TFE) as solvent. The optimized synthetic protocol allows for a straightforward access of >20 examples of N-functionalized pyrrolidinones in high yields (75 % and >99 %). Upscaling to 10 mmol-scale is demonstrated and mechanistic in situ studies revealed the presence of alkoxy- and hydroxylactams as crucial intermediates.We thank the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) for financial support (project number 411421782). We also want to thank the Leibniz Association's strategic networking program Leibniz ScienceCampus ComBioCat for funding. The authors thank Prof. Eszter Baráth for some use of the facilities. Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL.7en© 2024 The Authors.Alkoxy lactamLevulinic acidNickelReductive aminationTriphos2024-11-2510.1002/cctc.20240098785205056181