Montmorillonite K10 Catalyzed Selective Oxidation of Sulfides to Sulfoxides Using Hydrogen Peroxide

A clean and highly selective oxidation of sulfides to sulfoxides with 35% hydrogen peroxide catalyzed by Montmorillonite K10 in methanol is described. A series of structurally different sulfides were oxidized selectively at room temperature in excellent yields. This reaction is very simple and proceeds without over-oxidation under mild condition, and shows many advantages over the existing methodologies. Using this procedure, sulfides bearing functional groups such as hydroxyl, methoxy, amino, nitrile, aldehyde, and olefinic double bond remained intact.