Aerobic oxidation of naturally occurring α-bisabolol catalyzed by palladium(II) salts as sole catalysts

•α-Bisabolol is a bio-renewable substrate occurring in high concentrations in essential oils of various plants, for example, chamomile.•Novel selective oxidations of α-bisabolol with dioxygen using palladium salts as sole catalysts and non-acidic non-corrosive methanol or dimethylacetamide as solvents have been developed.•Poly-functionalized sesquiterpenic compounds obtained in these reactions are potentially useful as fragrance ingredients and synthetic intermediates.