Oxidative Conversion of Aldoximes into Carboxylic Acid Esters

Aromatic and aliphatic aldoximes or their O-methyl ethers can be efficiently converted into the corresponding carboxylic acid esters by treatment with an alcoholic solution of 30% hydrogen peroxide in the presence of catalytic amounts of 2-nitrobenzeneseleninic acid. Primary alcohols give excellent to good yields, secondary ones - good to moderate, but with tertiary alcohols no esterification is obserwed.