Ytterbium(III) triflate as a recyclable catalyst for the selective atom economic oxidation of benzyl alcohols to benzaldehydes

Ytterbium(III) triflate (10mol%) was found to catalyse the selective oxidat ion of a range of simple benzyl alcohols to benzaldehydes in good to excell ent yield using a stoichiometric quantity of 69% nitric acid as the oxidant , and where the only by-products were water and oxides of nitrogen. The cat alyst can be readily recovered and recycled by a simple evaporative process .