Development of green and of polymer-supported oxidizing agents for oxidation of alcohols

The selective oxidation of primary alcohols and secondary alcohols into their corresponding aldehydes (or carboxylic acids) and ketones is one of the most important transformations in modern organic synthesis. Although a myriad of oxidizing agents have been developed to affect this transformation, there is still a growing demand for mild, selective and environmentally-friendly oxidizing agents. This work explores two oxidation systems, viz TEMPO-TCCA and PEG-supported TEMPO. The latter is a polymer based oxidizing agent. A major advantage is that it can be recovered at the end of the reaction and subsequently reused. A wide variety of alcohols has been oxidized, and the IR carbonyl shift has been discussed as a function of the structure of the product.