Carboxylic acids from methyl aryl ketones by means of a new composite aerobic oxidation process

A new aerobic oxidation method for conversion of methyl aryl ketones to the corresponding benzoic acids is presented. The method is cheap and environmentally friendly, which also makes it suitable for large scale industrial use. The method affords a yield of >75% with an almost 100% selectivity. Experiments have shown that the process operates following two mechanistic pathways, namely by base-catalysed autoxidation and by single electron transfer processes.