CO 2 -expanded acetonitrile and methylene chloride have been used in this first detailed study of catalytic O 2 oxidations in these remarkably effective reaction media. The autoxidation of 2,6-di-tert-butylphenol (DTBP) with the cobalt Schiff-base (Co(salen*) in these so-called CO 2 -expanded liquids (CXLs) has been extensively studied using precisely controlled and monitored batch reactions. The dependence of conversion, selectivity and turn-over-frequency on various reaction parameters, including temperature, [O 2 ], [catalyst], and solvent composition has been evaluated. The rates of O 2 -oxidation in CXLs are typically 1-2 orders of magnitude greater than those obtained with either the neat organic solvent or supercritical CO 2 as reaction media. In keeping with the proposed mechanism, the dependence of both the selectivity and conversion on O 2 concentration and catalyst concentration indicates that the O 2 adduct, and not free O 2 , serves as oxidant in two critical steps in these systems. The increase in conversion with increasing temperature supports formation of the phenoxy radical as the rate determining step. In contrast, the temperature independence of selectivity is as expected for two competing radical coupling reactions. The balance between O 2 solubility and mixed-solvent dielectric constant determines some of the benefits of the CXLs. Because of the greatly increased solubility of O 2 in CXLs, the conversion in those media is substantially greater than that in either scCO 2 or the neat organic solvent. However, conversion eventually decreases with increasing CO 2 content of the solvent because of the decreasing dielectric constant of the medium. The solubilities of O 2 and Co(salen*) have been determined in CXLs based on methylene chloride.