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 sp³ carbons, while copper provides reactivity that iron cannot: activation of sp-hybridized carbons for coupling to sp³ centers.