Soluble polystyrene-based sulfoxide reagents for Swern oxidation reactions

Two new soluble polystyrene-based sulfoxide reagents are introduced. These polymeric reagents are used in Swern oxidation reactions where the resulting sulfide polymers are easily separated from the product by simple precipitation and filtration. The recovered reduced polymer reagents can be recycled by oxidation with tert-butyl hydroperoxide in the presence of acid. Attempts to use these reagents in a multi-polymer Swern oxidation reaction system were unsuccessful.