Recovery process for functionalized compound reaction product

A process for recovery of a functionalized compound reaction product that is soluble in a water-immiscible organic solvent comprising

• contacting (i) an oxidizing electrophile comprising a main group element selected from the group consisting of thallium, lead, bismuth, antimony, selenium, arsenic, tellurium, and a mixture thereof, and (ii) a compound comprising at least one C—H bond that is an alkane, a heteroalkane, or an arene, in an aqueous acidic medium to form a reaction milieu comprising a reaction product that is an alkane oxygenate, heteroalkane oxygenate, or arene oxygenate, respectively, wherein at least one C—H bond of the starting alkane, heteroalkane, or arene compound comprising at least one C—H bond is replaced with an oxygenate group, and wherein the reaction product is soluble in a water-immiscible organic solvent,
• contacting the reaction milieu with a water-immiscible organic solvent that is a hydrocarbon solvent in which the reaction product is soluble,
• separating the water-immiscible organic solvent from the reaction milieu, wherein the reaction product is dissolved in the water-immiscible organic solvent, and
• separating the reaction product and the water-immiscible organic solvent.