Ferric nitrate-catalyzed aerobic oxidation of benzylic sp3 CH bonds of ethers and alkylarenes

Abstract A simple catalytic oxidation system was developed for the selective aerobic oxidation of structurally diverse benzylic sp 3 C H bonds of ethers and alkylarenes. The reactions were performed with Fe(NO 3 ) 3 ·9H 2 O as the catalyst, KPF 6 as the additive and molecular oxygen as the terminal oxidant without any ligands. Under the optimal reaction conditions, a number of isochromans, xanthenes and thioxanthenes can be converted to their corresponding esters or ketones in good to excellent yields.