Iron (III)-Salen-Catalyzed H2O2Oxidation of Dibenzyl Sulfide in Reverse Micelles

Iron(III)-salen complexes {salen = N,N’bis(salicylidene)ethylenediaminato} efficiently catalyze the H2O2 oxidation of organic sulfides. This reaction leads to the formation of sulfoxides as the major product. The spectrophotometric kinetic study shows that the reaction follows Michaelis-Menten kinetics. The reactions are then performed in the presence of anionic reverse micelle AOT to understand the rate changes of the reactions in the reverse micelles. The reactions in the micellar medium are faster than in the pure solvent. Based on the spectral and kinetic studies a suitable electron transfer mechanism is proposed.