Magnetically Recoverable CuFe2O4 Nanoparticles as Highly Active Catalysts for Csp3-Csp and Csp3-Csp3 Oxidative Cross-Dehydrogenative Coupling

This study probes the versatility of [metal] ferrite {[M]Fe2O4} nanoparticles as an effective catalyst platform for oxidative cross-dehydrogenative coupling (CDC) by comparing the reactivity of simple magnetite (Fe3O4) with that of the copper-substituted analogue, copper ferrite (CuFe2O4). In either case, the iron within the lattice enables magnetic recovery of the nanoparticles, simplifying the process of catalyst recycling. Both iron and copper effectively catalyze the CDC of two sp(3) carbons, while copper provides reactivity that iron cannot: activation of sp-hybridized carbons for coupling to sp(3) centers.