Abstract Versatile syntheses of secondary and tertiary amines by highly efficient direct N- alkylation of primary and secondary amines with alcohols or by deaminative self-coupling of primary amines have been successfully realized by means of a heterogeneous bimetallic Pt– Sn/γ-Al 2 O 3 catalyst (0.5 wt% Pt, Pt/Sn molar ratio= 1: 3) through a borrowing-hydrogen strategy. In the presence of oxygen, imines were also efficiently prepared from the tandem ...