Stepwise degradation of hydroxyl compounds to aldehydes via successive C–C bond cleavage

Stepwise degradation of hydroxyl compounds to aldehydes via successive cleavage of C–C bonds was achieved by using a bimetallic catalytic system (PdCl2 + CuCl) without any ligands and additives. The broad applicability is expanded to a diverse range of aromatic, aliphatic, primary and secondary alcohols, as well as lignin model compounds.