The oxidation of 2, 4, 6-tritertbutylphenol and several other alkyl and halophenols by CrO2Cl2 and VOCl3 was studied. The products of CrO2Cl2 oxidation are mostly quinones and diphenoquinones, whilst those of VOCL3 oxidation also include major amounts of dealkylated phenols and CC coupled dimers. The product distributions are interpreted in terms of a mechanism involving phenoxyl radicals, ligand transfer from metal to radical, ...