Fe3O4 as a magnetically reusable Fenton nanocatalyst for the oxidation of thiols to sulfonic acid and sulfides to sulfoxides and sulfones

In this study, the oxidation of thiols to sulfonic acids and sulfides to sulfoxides and sulfones was carried out in the presence of Fe3O4/H2O2 as an efficient heterogeneous Fenton system. The products were obtained in good to excellent yields and short reaction times. Further results showed that the heterogeneous catalyst could be recovered easily using an external magnetic field and reused several times without any loss of its catalytic activity.