Amberlite IR-120 acidic resin, an age old polymer matrix, plays a significant role as catalyst in the oxidation of aromatic alcohols with urea-hydrogen peroxide in ionic liquid at 70 degrees C to disproportionate into phenols and carbonyl compounds in 30-60 min following two pathways. Under similar condition tertiary aromatic alcohol gave exclusively monohydroxyphenol accompanied by acetone. However, aliphatic and alicyclic alcohols yielded carbonyl compounds in moderate to good yields in 1-5 h.