Heterogeneous sulfoxidation of thioethers by hydrogen peroxide over layered double hydroxides as catalysts

A new method for mild oxidation of thioethers with hydrogen peroxide in heterogeneous catalysis is described. The layered double hydroxides (or hydrotalcite-like materials) act as basic catalysts for the sulfoxidation reaction with hydrogen peroxide in the presence of acetonitrile. The influence of the nature of thioether, the type of catalyst, the reaction temperature and reaction time on the catalytic activity and selectivity in this reaction has been investigated. A mechanism of the sulfoxidation reaction is proposed, (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.