OXIDATION OF METHYL PHENYL SULFIDE WITH MOLECULAR OXYGEN IN THE PRESENCE OF ISOBUTYRALDEHYDE AND TRANSITION METAL MONOSUBSTITUTED HETEROPOLYTUNGSTATES

Methyl phenyl sulfide is quantitatively oxidized to the corresponding sulfoxide and sulfone by dioxygen in the presence of isobutyraldehyde and transition metal substituted heteropolytungstates, PW11MO39 n- (M=CoII, and TiIV). The reaction proceedsvia a radical chain mechanism.