Photoinduced FeCl3‐Catalyzed Alkyl Aromatics Oxidation toward Degradation of Polystyrene at Room Temperature†

Main observation and conclusion While polystyrene is widely used in daily life as a synthetic plastic, the subsequently selective degradation is still very challenging and highly required. Herein, we disclose a highly practical and selective reaction for the catalytically efficient oxidation of alkyl aromatics (including 1°, 2°, and 3° alkyl aromatics) to carboxylic acids. While dioxygen was used as the sole terminal oxidant, this protocol was catalyzed by the inexpensive and readily available ferric compound (FeCl 3 ) with irradiation of visible light (blue LEDs) under only 1 atmosphere of O 2 at room temperature. This system could further facilitate the selective degradation of polystyrene to benzoic acid, providing an important and practical tool to generate high‐value chemical from abundant polystyrene wastes.