Ceric ammonium nitrate catalyzed oxidation of sulfides to sulfoxides

Oxidation of sulfides to sulfoxides with a catalytic amount of ceric ammonium nitrate (CAN) reagent supported on silica gel has been achieved. Stoichiometric sodium bromate is utilized as the primary oxidant to continue the catalytic cycle involving CAN. Solid-supported CAN reagent allowed us to avoid using aqueous reaction media generally employed in CAN-promoted reactions. This heterogeneous CAN/NaBrO₃ reagent has simplified the reaction work-up and product isolation, produced higher product yields, and shortened reaction times compared to reactions with homogeneous CAN reagents employing aqueous media.