Magnetic nanoparticle immobilized N-propylsulfamic acid: The chemoselective, efficient, green and reusable nanocatalyst for oxidation of sulfides to sulfoxides using H2O2 under solvent-free conditions

•MNPs-PSA was used as an interphase acid nanocatalyst for the synthesis of sulfoxides.•The used oxidant is green, commercially available, cheap, and chemically stable.•The method is highly efficient for the chemoselective oxidation of sulfides in good to high yields.•The catalyst was easily recovered and reused without any significant loss in catalytic activity.•The method conforms to several of the guiding principles of green chemistry.

An efficient and eco-friendly method is reported for the chemoselective oxidation of sulfides to sulfoxides in good to high yields using 30% H2O2 in the presence of catalytic amounts of N-Propylsulfamic acid supported onto magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles (MNPs-PSA) under solvent-free conditions at room temperature. Various types of aromatic and aliphatic sulfides possessing functional groups such as alcohol, ester, and aldehyde are successfully and selectively oxidized without affecting sensitive functionalities. The magnetic nanocatalyst can be readily recovered easily by applying an external magnet device and reused for at least 10 reaction runs without considerable loss of reactivity.

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