The technically important side-chain oxidation of alkyl aromatic compounds to from either methyl benzoates or orthobenzoic acid trimethylesters can be performed electrochemically at low potentials in methanol solution using an undivided cell and tris (2, 4-dibromopheny1) amine as redox catalyst. Under neutral or slightly acidic conditions methyl benzoates are selectively formed while under basic conditions the ortho-esters are predominating. In a ...