Efficient synthesis of symmetrical anhydrides by cross dehydrogenative coupling of aryl aldehydes over CuFe2O4 nanoparticles

Abstract

Nano copper ferrite catalyst is prepared and characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray, X-ray diffraction, vibrational sample magnetometry, and Fourier transform infrared. The catalytic activity is probed for cross-dehydrogenative coupling of aromatic aldehydes in the presence of tert-butyl hydroperoxide as the oxidant. This catalytic protocol appears as a simple, rather cheap, clean, and efficient practical strategy for the synthesis of symmetrical anhydrides, with proper efficiency (66%). The catalyst can be easily separated from the reaction mixture by an external magnet and reused several times in subsequent reactions, without any measurable loss of its efficiency.