Oxidation of alkylarenes by modified graphite

Abstract

Herein, an electrochemical method has been introduced and developed for the selective benzylic oxidation of alkylarenes. This work utilizes a simple redox mediator system, N-Hydroxyphthalimide (NHPI), with an inexpensive and innovatory modified graphite and nickel-based electrode using undivided cell setups to the selective oxidation of alkylarenes toward the aldehyde and ketone production. Since, the selective oxidation of alkylarenes toward aldehyde formation (in the aerobic conditions) is a prominent challenge, our method for alkylarenes oxidation with high yield and selectivity in the presence of oxygen under mild and metal free conditions is promising.