A novel and practical method for the selective synthesis of sulfons from sulfides using Metal Oxide-Metal nanocatalyst

Developing versatile and eco-friendly methodologies that make easy the synthesis of biologically active organic compounds is in great demand. Oxidation of organic sulfides is the most utilized method to produce sulfones, which is drawing continuous attention in chemical research and development due to the importance of these products [1]. Nanostructured metal oxide-metal synthesized in a one-pot redox reaction is used as an effective and chemoselective nanocatalyst for direct conversion of sulfides to sulfones. High yields of products, short reaction time, and excellent selectivity are some of advantages of this method. In continuation to our reported works in this field [2] herein, we describe a new methodology for the oxidation of sulfides to sulfones using nanostructured metal oxide-metal in the presence of H2O2 as a green oxidant at room temperature (Scheme 1).