Synthesis of Sulfoxides in Water by New Magnetic Nanoparticles Supported Tungstic Acid (MNP-TA), as a Selective Oxidation Method of Sulfides

Different sulfides were oxidized to the corresponding sulfoxides, which is useful in drug industries and important in biological activities, with a novel magnetically separable catalyst consisting of tungstic acid supported on silica coated magnetic nanoparticles in water as a green solvent in a good to excellent yield without any over oxidation to sulfones in a simple, selective, and eco-friendly way. The catalyst can be separated from reaction condition using an external magnetic field and reused for several times as its first structure. Using some different microscopic and spectroscopic techniques such as transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), and EDX spectroscopy.