Dehydrocoupling of toluene

Toluene dehydrocoupled products are produced by heating toluene in the vapor phase with an inorganic metal/oxygen composition which functions as an oxygen carrier and has the empirical formula: Ma1Mb2Ox where M1 is thorium and M2 is an element selected from copper and Group 2b of the Periodic Table of the Elements, and wherein a is 1, b is 0.01 to 10, and x is a number taken to satisfy the average valences of M1 and M2 in the oxidation states in which they exist in the composition. Alternatively, the same inorganic metal/oxygen composition can be employed as a catalyst or as a combination catalyst/oxygen carrier for the dehydrocoupling reaction when oxygen or an oxygen-containing gas is heated with toluene.