Abstract: Tlie ceric ammonium nitrate (CAN) oxidation of (6-tert-butylethy1) phenylmethanol (1) at 80'in 50% aqueous acetonitrile gave a ratio of oxidative cleavage to ketone formation, determined by measuring the relative yield of benzaldehyde to@-/err-butylethyl phenyl ketone, of 3.27='c 0.07, and 44% of P-tert-butylethyl nitrate was produced. However, the CAN oxidation under identical conditions of (0-trimethylsilylethyl) phenylmethanol (2) ...