Advances in the field of transition-metal-free nitroxide-catalyzed aerobic oxidation processes are covered in this critical review. Along with the relevant physical properties of nitroxides, their application as oxidation catalysts by using dioxygen as a reagent or terminal oxidant will be discussed. The second part of the review focuses on the use of TEMPO-based nitroxides as catalysts for aerobic alcohol oxidation. Mechanistic studies will also be addressed (130 references).

Cross dehydrogenative coupling reactions occurring via base-promoted homolytic aromatic substitutions (BHASs) are reported. Fluorenones and xanthones are readily prepared via CDC starting with readily available ortho-formyl biphenyls and ortho-formyl biphenylethers, respectively. The commercially available and cheap tBuOOH is used as an oxidant. Initiation of the radical chain reaction is best achieved with small amounts of FeCp(2) (0.1 or 1 mol %).

No transition metals are necessary to convert benzoxazoles and 1,3,4‐oxadiazoles into the corresponding pharmacologically interesting 2‐aminated heterocycles by formal direct C(2)‐amination using tetramethylpiperidine‐N‐oxoammonium tetrafluoroborate (TEMPO+BF4−) as an oxidant (see scheme; TEMP=2,2,6,6‐tetramethylpiperidine; TfOH=trifluoromethanesulfonic acid).

The communication reports on the metal‐free 2,2,6,6‐tetramethylpiperidine N‐oxyl radical (TEMPO) catalyzed aerobic oxidation of various alcohols to aldehydes and ketones. A novel catalyst system that uses 1–4 mol% of TEMPO in combination with 4–6 mol% of aqueous hydroxylamine is introduced. No other additives are necessary and corrosive by‐products are not formed during oxidation. Nitric oxide which is important for the catalytic cycle is generated in situ by reaction of the hydroxylamine with TEMPO. A catalytic cycle for the overall oxidation process is suggested.

TEMPO‐Mediated oxidation of hydroxylamines (=hydroxyamines) and alkoxyamines to the corresponding oxime derivatives is reported (TEMPO=2,2,6,6‐tetramethylpiperidin‐1‐yloxy radical; Scheme 2). These environmentally benign oxidations proceed in good to excellent yields (Table 1). For alkoxyamines, oxidation to the corresponding oxime ethers can be performed by using dioxygen as a terminal oxidant in the presence of 5–10 mol‐% of TEMPO or 4‐substituted derivatives thereof as a catalyst (Scheme 3 and Table 2). Importantly, benzyl bromides can directly be transformed to oxime ethers via in situ alkoxyamine formation by a nucleophilic substitution followed by TEMPO‐mediated oxidation (Scheme 4 and Table 3).