Oxidation of primary and secondary alcohols catalyzed by a pentamethylcyclopentadienyliridium complex

The oxidation of primary and secondary alcohols is carried out in acetone under mild conditions using catalytic amounts of [Cp*IrCl2](2) and K2CO3. Primary alcohols are converted into the corresponding aldehydes with high selectivity in good yields. Secondary alcohols are readily oxidized to ketones with smaller amounts of the catalyst. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.