Oxodiperoxomolybdenum complex immobilized onto ionic liquid modified SBA-15 as an effective catalysis for sulfide oxidation to sulfoxides using hydrogen peroxide

•Mo-SILP material acts as effective catalyst in green sulfoxidation.•Heterogeneization of the Mo complex increases selectivity toward sulfoxide.•Heterogeneization favors catalyst recycling.

A supported ionic-liquid-phase (SILP) was prepared by the reaction of 1-methyl-3-(3-(triethoxysilyl)propyl)-1H-imidazol-3-ium chloride with a mesoporous SBA-15 silica and then an oxodiperoxomolybdenum complex was immobilized onto the obtained SILP. The resulting material, identified as SBA-15 + ImCl + MoO5, was characterized by solid state NMR (1H, 13C and 29Si), and their textural and thermogravimetric properties were determined. The SBA-15 + ImCl + MoO5 material was investigated as catalyst for the oxidation of methylphenylsulfide, as model reaction, with aqueous hydrogen peroxide as oxidant at room temperature. The presence of the molybdenum species was crucial for achieving good conversions and methanol was selected as the best solvent (conversion of 95% and selectivity toward sulfoxide 98%). The optimized reaction conditions were applied for the oxidation of several selected sulfides. In general, good catalytic activity and selectivity to sulfoxide were obtained and, remarkably, the selectivity toward sulfoxide is higher than those observed in the study of the same process carried out in [C4min][PF6] (C4mim = 1–butyl-3-methylimidazolium) and catalyzed by a molecular molybdenum complex, under the same reaction conditions. The importance of the IL-functionalization in the SBA-15 material was evidenced by recycling experiments. The SBA-15 + ImCl + MoO5 catalyst was used for the sulfoxidation of the methylphenylsulfide substrate for ten reaction cycles without a significant change in conversion, selectivity to sulfoxide and molybdenum content.

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