Ionic liquid promoted selective oxidation of organic compounds with NaBrO3

1-Butyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide (bmim]Br) as an ionic liquid promoted selectively the oxidation of alkyl arenes and alcohols to the corresponding carbonyl compounds with NaBrO₃ in excellent yields under neutral conditions at the 70°C. Among the various ionic liquids examined, the bmim]Br exhibited the best performances with NaBrO₃. The ionic liquid can be recycled and reused for several runs without any significant loss of activity. Correspondence: Ahmad Shaabani, Department of Chemistry, Shahid Beheshti University, P.O. Box 19839-4716, Tehran, Iran.