Unusual selectivity of alcohol oxidation by oxygen in aqueous alkaline solutions of copper phenanthroline complexes

In aqueous alkaline solutions copper phenanthroline complexes catalyze the oxidation of primary alcohols and cyclohexanol to carboxylic acids at 333–373 K and\(P_{O_2 } \)=0.2–0.4 MPa. Unlike in radical-chain and metal-complex oxidation, secondary and acyclic alcohols are not oxidized in these conditions.