Several catalytic methods for the oxidation of alcohols to carbonyl compounds have been published in recent years and another has just been reported.  Na₁₂[WZnZn₂-(H₂O)₂(ZnW₉)₃₄)₂] which can be prepared by drop-wise addition of zinc nitrate to a nitric acid solution of sodium tungstate, is an effective catalyst for which oxidises secondary alcohols to ketones (yields ~ 95%) and activated primary alcohols to carboxylic acids (benzyl alcohol gives 100% benzoic acid).  Unactivated primary alcohols such as pentanol do not give such good results (66% conversion to a mixture of pentanal (9%) and pentanoic acid (91%) , and 61% conversion to a 41:59 mixture of pentanal and pentanoic acid in the presence of TEMPO).   1,3-Diols, such as 2-ethyl-1,3-hexanediol, are oxidised to b –ketoacids in good yield.   All the examples cited were carried out in a two phase system with the aqueous polyoxometalate oxidant and the neat (liquid) alcohol.   Other examples include the successful oxidation of 2-butyl-4-chloro-5-hydroxymethylimidazole to the corresponding carboxylic acid (> 95% yield), but the reaction failed with 1-cyclohexyl-3,3,3-trifluoro-2-propanol.   ( J. Am. Chem. Soc. , 2003, 125, 5280-5281).