MeReO₃-Catalyzed Selective Oxidation of Thiols to Sulfonic Acids

Significance

Sulfonic acids and their derivatives are widely used industrially for a variety of applications. This publication reports a simple, convenient one-pot procedure for the homogeneous ­oxidation of various thiols to the corresponding sulfonic acids. Hydrogen peroxide serves as a stoichiometric oxidant, which can be easily decomposed catalytically after the reaction, thus making the isolation of the products simple and straightforward. Aryl, alkyl and benzyl thiols are all suitable substrates for this reaction.