Dinitrogen oxide was employed as a clean oxidant for various oxidations in the presence of a catalytic amount of dioxoruthenium tetramesitylporphyrin complex (Ru (tmp)(O) 2). A variety of olefins, secondary alcohols, and benzyl alcohols were smoothly oxidized to the corresponding epoxides, ketones, and aldehydes in high yields. In the oxidation of 9, 10- dihydroanthracene derivatives, the competitive reactions affording anthraquinones and ...