Aerobic oxidation of alcohol in aqueous solution catalyzed by gold

The heterogeneous oxidation catalyzed by supported gold nanoparticles has been relatively well studied. In comparison, the oxidation of alcohols catalyzed by ligand-supported gold complexes was rarely reported. Herein a general method is demonstrated to oxidize secondary and primary benzyl and allylic alcohols to carbonyl compounds via Au(I) catalyzed reaction in air and water. Primary mechanistic studies indicated that the catalytic pathway is different from those catalyzed by solid-supported gold nanoparticles.