When the partial oxidation of benzene to phenol, which is one of the most important reactions in chemical industry, was conducted using TiO2 in the presence of a phenol-philic adsorbent derived from a layered silicate, phenol was recovered in unprecedentedly high yield and purity. This resulted from the fact that the adsorbent captured the generated phenol promptly, selectively, and effectively to prevent the overoxidation, after which the captured phenol could be easily eluted.