Co nanoparticles embedded in mesoporous nitrogen-doped carbon (abbreviated as Co@CN-800) were prepared and found to be resistant to acid. The Co@CN-800 catalyst was found to be active and selective for the one-pot reductive amination of carbonyl compounds with nitro compounds by transfer hydrogenation with formic acid as the hydrogen donor, affording the corresponding secondary amines with excellent yields (89.6-99%). Both nitrogen atoms and Co nanoparticles were of great importance in the one-pot reductive amination over the Co@CN-800 catalyst by formic acid, and the protic N-H+ and hydridic Co-H- were proposed to be the active species for the transfer hydrogenation reactions. Furthermore, the Co@CN-800 catalyst was highly stable without loss of its activity. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.