Selective oxidation of sulfides to sulfoxides using a silica immobilised vanadyl alkyl phosphonate catalyst

A range of sulfides can be selectively oxidised to the corresponding sulfoxides in good yields using catalytic quantities of immobilised vanadyl, cobalt or nickel alkyl phosphonates and the reoxidant sodium bromate or vanadyl alkyl phosphonate with tert-butyl hydroperoxide or aqueous hydrogen peroxide as oxidants.