Aerobic Oxidation of Primary Alcohols by a New Mononuclear CuII-Radical Catalyst

Primary alcohols such as ethanol or benzyl alcohol are selectively and catalytically oxidized by the mononuclear copper(II ) radical complex 1 —a functional model of the metalloenzyme galactose oxidase—with oxygen from air at 20°C to give the corresponding aldehydes and H₂O₂ in about 60 % yield.