Oxidation of primary and secondary alcohols catalyzed by a pentamethylcyclopentadienyliridium complex

The oxidation of primary and secondary alcohols is carried out in acetone under mild conditions using catalytic amounts of [Cp*IrCl2]2 and K2CO3. Primary alcohols are converted into the corresponding aldehydes with high selectivity in good yields. Secondary alcohols are readily oxidized to ketones with smaller amounts of the catalyst.