Selective Aerobic Oxidation of Methylarenes to Benzaldehydes Catalyzed by N‐Hydroxyphthalimide and Cobalt(II) Acetate in Hexafluoropropan‐2‐ol

Abstract Efficient and highly selective catalytic conditions for the aerobic autoxidation of methylarenes to benzaldehydes, based on N ‐hydroxyphthalimide (NHPI) and cobalt(II) acetate in 1,1,1,3,3,3‐hexafluoropropan‐2‐ol (HFIP), were developed. The sustainable conditions enable a multigram scale preparation of benzaldehyde derivatives in high efficiency and with excellent chemoselectivity (up to 99 % conversion and 98 % selectivity).