A porous metal-organic framework containing multiple active Cu(2+) sites for highly efficient cross dehydrogenative coupling reaction.

A novel 3D porous metal-organic framework was constructed from imidazole carboxylate linkers and copper(ii) nodes, which in situ generates multiple active Cu(II) sites in the nanosized channel walls for highly efficient cross dehydrogenative coupling reaction between 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline derivatives and nitroalkanes that are superior to the simple copper salts.