Patent ID: 7371866

Claim:
A process for catalytically oxidizing alkylaromatic compounds of the formula (I) Ar—CH 3 where Ar is an aromatic or heteroaromatic 5-membered or 6-membered ring or an aromatic or heteroaromatic ring system having up to 20 carbon atoms where Ar may optionally be mono- or polysubstituted by C 1 -C 6 -alkyl or -alkoxy, halogen, NO 2 , NR 1 R 2 where R 1 and R 2 are each independently H or C 1 -C 4 -alkyl, CN, OH, phenyl, keto groups, sulfonic acid groups, sulfonyl chloride, silyl radicals, siloxy or siloxane substituents or fused to a C 1 -C 6 -alkyl group in which up to 2 carbon atoms may be replaced by a heteroatom, to the corresponding aromatic or heteroaromatic carboxylic acids, which comprises oxidizing a compound of the formula (I) in a solvent from the group of C 1 -C 6 -mono- or -dicarboxylic acids, esters, water, halogenated hydrocarbons, acetonitrile, C 1 -C 6 -alcohols, silicones, silicone oils, or chemically inert high-boiling solvents or mixtures thereof, with ozone in the presence of a transition metal catalyst and optionally in the presence of an acid at a temperature between −20° C. and 30° C. to the corresponding carboxylic acid and then isolating it from the reaction mixture.