The palladium-catalyzed oxidative carbonylation of phenylacetylene (PCPOC reaction) is known to exhibit autonomous oscillations in a variety of parameters including pH, redox potential and heat of reaction. Previous studies report that external addition of both an oxidizing agent and water is required to allow production/ consumption of H ? in an oscillatory fashion. In this work we show that solutions of PdI 2 / KI dried over 3 Å molecular sieves can catalyze phenylacetylene carbonylation in the absence of an external oxidizing agent. Oscillations are readily achieved in this considerably simplified PCPOC system. Palladium-catalyzed carbonylation of methanol generates HI as a by-product, which can react with excess KI and methanol producing methyl iodide and water in situ. Methyl iodide can also undergo decomposition, generating iodine as an internally formed oxidizing agent, which accounts for recorded catalyst regeneration. Oscillations are observed in the pH range 1.5-3.5 commencing, at the earliest, 70 min after introduction of phenylacetylene. Oscillations vary in period between 1 and 3.5 h and last for several days. The onset of oscillations may be delayed via portion-wise addition of the phenylacetylene substrate.