Reaction Kinetics and Catalysis Letters, Vol.90, No.2, 259-266, 2007
One-pot oxidation of sulfides to sulfones by reusable heterogeneous ruthenium catalyst in the presence of molecular oxygen
A reusable solid catalyst, MnFe1.8Cu0.15Ru0.05O4, has been developed as an effective catalyst for the aerobic oxidation of sulfides and sulfoxides to sulfones. The ruthenium modified spinel catalyst is the first example reported for such reaction under mild condition with molecular oxygen as the only oxidant. The oxidation reaction proceeded via an electrophilic attack of the oxygen atom of the catalyst on the electron-rich sulfur atom of the substrate.