Green and Direct Synthesis of Benzaldehyde and Benzyl Benzoate in One Pot

High yields of valued benzaldehyde and benzyl benzoate are obtained in one pot starting from benzyl alcohol using oxygen as only oxidant under mild conditions (2 bar O2, 100 °C) along with an ultralow amount (0.02 mol %) of Au nanoparticles heterogenized over a spherical ORMOSIL mesoporous support. The process is remarkably selective and the catalyst is stable.