Herein, we present an accessible aerobic N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)-catalyzed method that efficiently produces tetrasubstituted benzene rings in a single reaction. The method employs atmospheric oxygen (O 2 ) as the terminal oxidant in a reaction that requires two oxidative steps. The aerobic oxidation is achieved by a selection of electron transfer mediators orchestrating a redox cascade, turning a high-energy aerobic oxidation reaction pathway into a favorable process.

The ease with which simple starting materials can be transformed into highly functionalized products has made oxidative N‐heterocyclic carbene (NHC) catalysis an area of significant interest. However, the use of stoichiometric amounts of high molecular weight oxidants in most reactions generates an undesired equivalent amount of waste. To address this issue, the use of oxygen as the terminal oxidant in NHC catalysis has been developed. Oxygen is attractive due to its low cost, low molecular weight, and ability to generate water as the sole by‐product. However, molecular oxygen is challenging to use as a reagent in organic synthesis due to its unreactive ground state, which often requires reactions to be run at high temperatures and results in the formation of kinetic side‐products. This review covers the development of aerobic oxidative carbene catalysis, including NHC‐catalyzed reactions with oxygen, strategies for oxygen activation, and selectivity issues under aerobic conditions.