Iron pillared clays (Fe-PILC) were compared to Fe-exchanged K10 (Fe-K10) for the oxidative coupling of 2-naphthols to the corresponding binaphthols. Fe-K10 appeared as the most efficient heterogeneous catalyst giving nearly quantitative yields with many naphthols. The highest activity displayed by Fe-K10 is attributed to the easier accessibility of catalytic sites of the clay. The catalyst can be recycled several times with success.