Hollow CoFe Oxide Prisms for Cross-Dehydrogenative Coupling Reactions of 1,2,3,4-Tetrahydroisoquinolines under Mild Conditions

A three-dimensional hollow CoFe oxide prism catalyst was successfully prepared via a self-template strategy. This bimetallic oxide catalyst demonstrated excellent catalytic activity in cross-dehydrogenative coupling reactions of 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinolines under mild conditions compared to its monometallic oxide counterparts. A preliminary mechanistic investigation showed the involvement of reactive oxygen species, produced from molecular O2 by the active bimetallic oxide catalyst in the catalytic cycle.