NHPI/tert-butyl nitrite: A highly efficient metal-free catalytic system for aerobic oxidation of alcohols to carbonyl compounds using molecular oxygen as the terminal oxidant

•A new metal-free catalytic system is developed for aerobic oxidation of alcohols.•The catalytic system exhibits broader functional group tolerance.•Oxidation of secondary alcohols to ketones with 61–99% yield.•A possible radical mechanism was proposed.

A highly practical metal-free catalytic system has been developed for aerobic oxidation of alcohols to corresponding ketones and aldehydes using catalytic amount of N-hydroxyphthalimide (NHPI) and tert-butyl nitrite (TBN) with molecular oxygen serving as the terminal oxidant. A variety of aliphatic, aromatic, allylic, and heterocyclic alcohols were smoothly converted to desired products with moderate to excellent yields. Moreover, a possible radical mechanism was proposed.

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