Selective oxidation of sulfides to sulfoxides using hydrogen peroxide over Au/CTN–silica catalyst

• Core (silica)–shell (chitosan) materials were constructed by the inverse microemulsion system.
• Au/CTN–silica catalyst was prepared using above core–shell materials as supports.
• This catalyst showed good catalytic activity and selectivity for the oxidations of sulfides to sulfoxides.
• Key factor governing catalytic property was Au NPs–support interactions.

Chitosan (CTN) can be used as potential support to create environmentally friendly catalysts; however, chitosan's poor diffusion properties and low surface area limit its application. Direct deposition method on inorganic supports might be a feasible and simple solution, using core (silica nanosphere)–shell (chitosan) material as support, a series of Au/CTN–silica catalysts were prepared by inverse microemulsion system. These catalysts were active in catalyzing the oxidation of sulfides to sulfoxides with relative good conversion and high selectivity. This study confirms that the key factor governing catalytic performance of this catalyst should be the interaction between gold nanoparticles and N atoms.

Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slide