Preparation of hydroxybenzaldehydes

Abstract

Hydroxybenzaldehydes, for example salicylaldehyde, are prepared in high yields by oxidizing the corresponding hydroxybenzyl alcohols, e.g., saligenol, with molecular oxygen or an oxygen-containing gas, in liquid phase, in an aqueous reaction medium containing an alkali, in the presence of (i) a catalytically effective amount of a platinum catalyst and (ii) a cocatalytically effective amount of boron and bismuth compounds.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.