A Selective and Sustainable Sulfoxidation Method Catalyzed by Reusable Manganese (III) Schiff Base Complexes

A novel environmentally benign oxidation method for practical and highly selective production of various sulfoxides using n-Bu4NHSO5 catalyzed by simple tetradentate Schiff base Mn(III)-complexes in ethanol under mild conditions has been developed. The salen catalyst proved to be reusable for at least three times and the oxidant’s by-product (n- Bu4NHSO4) could also be recycled. The efficiency of the catalytic system was influenced by the nature of ligands so the best yields were achieved in the presence of Mn(Salphen)Cl as catalyst.