Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Oxidation of sulfoxides by hydrogen peroxide, catalyzed by methyltrioxorhenium(VII)

Journal Article · · Inorganic Chemistry
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/ic991292b· OSTI ID:20075876

Dialkyl and diaryl sulfoxides are oxidized to sulfones by hydrogen peroxide using methyltrioxorhenium as the catalyst. The reaction rate is negligible without a catalyst. The kinetics study was performed in CH{sub 3}CN-H{sub 2}O (4:1 v/v) at 298 K with [H{sup +}] at 0.1 M, conditions which make the equilibration between MTO and its peroxo complexes more rapid than the oxygen-transfer step. The values for the rate constant for the oxygen-transfer step lie in the range 0.1--3 L mol{sup {minus}1} s{sup {minus}1}. The rate constants were significantly smaller than for the oxidation of sulfides to sulfoxides. A study of ring-substituted diaryl sulfoxides yielded kinetics results that are consistent with nucleophilic attack of the sulfur atom on the peroxide oxygen group since {rho} = {minus}0.65. The results cited refer to the reactions of the diperoxo from the catalyst, MeRe(O)({eta}{sup 2}-O{sub 2}){sub 2}H{sub 2}O. The monoperoxo complex showed no measurable reactivity toward sulfoxides, in contrast with the situation for nearly every other substrate. That unusual finding suggests a hydrogen-bonded interaction between the substrate and the diperoxorhenium compound which cannot exist with the monoperoxo compound.

Research Organization:
Ames Lab., IA (US); Iowa State Univ. of Science and Technology, Ames, IA (US)
OSTI ID:
20075876
Journal Information:
Inorganic Chemistry, Journal Name: Inorganic Chemistry Journal Issue: 10 Vol. 39; ISSN 0020-1669; ISSN INOCAJ
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English