Design and Synthesis of Amphiphilic Catalyst [C16mim]5VW12O40Br and Its Application in Deep Desulfurization with Superior Cyclability at Room Temperature

Achieving long-term stable deep desulfurization at room temperature and recovering high value-added sulfone products is a challenge at present. Herein, a series of catalysts [Cnmim]5VW12O40Br (CnVW12, 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium bro-mide tungstovanadate, n = 4, 8, 16) were presented for the room temperature catalytic oxidation of dibenzothiophene (DBT) and its derivatives. Factors affecting the reaction process, such as the amount of catalyst, oxidant, and temperature, were systematically discussed. C16VW12 showed higher catalytic performance, and 100% conversion and selectivity could be achieved in 50 min with only 10 mg. The mechanism study showed that the hydroxyl radical was the active radical in the reaction. Benefiting from the polarity strategy, the sulfone product accumulated after 23 cycles in a C16VW12 system, and the yield and purity were about 84% and 100%, respectively.

Automated summary

In this study, a series of catalysts [Cnmim]5VW12O40Br (CnVW12) with different alkyl chain lengths were used for the catalytic oxidation of dibenzothiophene (DBT) and its derivatives at room temperature. The impact of catalyst amount, oxidant, and temperature on the reaction process were investigated. Among them, C16VW12 exhibited higher catalytic performance, achieving 100% conversion and selectivity in 50 minutes with only 10 mg of catalyst. The mechanism study revealed that the hydroxyl radical played a crucial role in the reaction. Furthermore, the use of a polarity strategy resulted in the accumulation of sulfone products with a yield of approximately 84% and 100% purity after 23 cycles in the C16VW12 system.