Recyclable and reusable nano-CuFe2O4 catalyzed C-O cross-coupling

An efficient protocol was developed and validated for the synthesis of biaryl/aryl alkyl ethers using CuFe2O4 nano powder as a recyclable catalyst via the reaction between aryl halides and phenols/alcohols. Variety of aryl ethers were synthesized efficiently in the presence of catalytic amount of CuFe2O4, KOH as base, under ligand free conditions in nitrogen atmosphere with DMSO as solvent at 120 oC. The catalyst is air-stable, inexpensive, magnetically separable and recyclable up to four cycles.