Tetrabutylammonium tribromide impregnated MCM-48 as a heterogeneous catalyst for selective oxidation of sulfides

Abstract

We report here tetrabutylammonium tribromide supported on MCM-48 as a highly efficient heterogeneous catalyst for the selective oxidation of sulfides, in ethanolic medium using hydrogen peroxide as an oxidant. The aforementioned oxidation reactions were found to proceed rapidly (20 min) and in good yield (85–99%) (17 examples). The oxidation products were characterized by ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR and elemental analysis. The catalytic properties were analysed by TEM, XRD and BET-surface area measurement. No over-oxidation of the substrates was observed (analysed by GC), and the catalyst was effectively recycled for five consecutive cycles without any significant loss in its catalytic activity.