Recyclable palladium catalyst for facile synthesis of imines from benzyl alcohols and nitroarenes

•One-pot synthesis of imine from nitroarene and benzyl alcohol was developed.•The heterogeneous catalysis was based on the hydrogen transfer methodology.•The strategy was applicable for electron-rich and -poor substrates.•The approach could furnish the desired products imidazoles in excellent yields.•The supported-palladium catalyst could be recyclable. Using a supported palladium catalytic system, the reaction of nitroarenes with benzyl alcohols occurred smoothly via hydrogen transfer to produce imines in an atom-economical manner. The palladium species were dispersed well on hydrotalcite (HT) support and palladium nanoparticles with size of about 3.5nm were formed during reaction. Both of the small size of palladium nanoparticles and the rich hydroxyl groups on HT surface enhanced the catalytic performance of Pd/HT. The catalytic system is recyclable and amenable to a variety of aromatic alcohols and nitro compounds.