This work describes the oxidative cracking of n-alkanes with molecular oxygen at low temperatures (below 473K) in an autoclave reactor. An increase of the oxygen consumption rate with increasing hydrocarbon size was observed. Data for n-hexadecane indicate that oxidative cracking is an autocatalytic reaction. The oxidation rate increased with the progress of the reaction. Low molecular weight compounds were formed as the main products. CG and CG-MS analyses of the liquid products found homologous series of oxygen compounds (acids, ketones, and ethers) and short-chain n-alkanes. Our results strongly suggest that oxidative cracking can be employed for processing heavy materials such as polymers and petroleum residues.