Novel oxidation of toluenes catalyzed by reusable vanadyl(IV) sulfate under mild conditions with molecular oxygen

Efficient oxidation system using reusable vanadyl(IV) sulfate catalyst was established. Toluenes were easily oxidized under molecular oxygen (0.1 MPa) at 100 °C catalyzed by vanadyl(IV) sulfate to afford the corresponding benzoic acids in excellent yields. The recovered catalyst could be reused without loss of activity.