Highly efficient and selective aerobic oxidation of alcohols in aqueous media by TEMPO-containing catalytic systems

The use of molecular oxygen as the oxidant and water as reaction medium is a charming research orientation in the oxidation of alcohols. In this communication, the efficient aerobic oxidation of alcohols to the corresponding carbonyl compounds in aqueous media has been achieved with TEMPO-containing catalytic systems. In the absence of base/acid, a 99% conversion and 94% selectivity for benzaldehyde were obtained for the oxidation of benzyl alcohol by TEMPO-Ce(IV)-NaNO2 in water. Moreover, the effects of. quaternary ammonium salts and anionic surfactants were investigated. The aerobic selective oxidation of different non-heterocyclic alcohols in aqueous media was further investigated, and the moderate to high yields (45.5-98.0%) of products were obtained. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.