Electrochemical Scalable Sulfoxidation of Sulfides with Molecular Oxygen and Water

An efficient and chemoselective synthesis of sulfoxides through the electrooxidation of sulfides has been well developed. This protocol takes advantage of electricity as the terminal oxidant and of molecular oxygen and water as the oxygen atom sources. A variety of structurally diverse sulfoxide compounds are assembled in moderate to excellent yields. The scaled-up reactions at 6-20 mmol show the good practicability and application potential of this methodology. A possible free radical mechanism has been proposed to rationalize the reaction procedure.