Water-soluble N-oxyl compounds-mediated electrooxidation of alcohols in water: a prominent access to a totally closed system

Electrooxidation of alcohols in water involving water-soluble N-oxyl compounds (WS-TEMPOs) proceeded smoothly to afford the corresponding ketones and aldehydes in good yields. Notably, most of WS-TEMPOs in water remained intact after the electrolysis. The aqueous solution containing WS-TEMPOs was recovered easily and repeatedly used for the electrooxidation of alcohols, offering a totally closed system.