Oxidation of dibenzothiophene by a metal–oxygen–aldehyde system

The oxidation of dibenzothiophene by an oxygen/aldehyde system, using heterogeneous (unsupported and alumina-supported oxides) and homogeneous (acetate salts) catalytic systems based on Mn, Co and Ni, was examined. In all instances, Co- and Mn-based systems were the most active catalysts. In contrast, a markedly lower activity was measured for Ni(II) acetate whereas NiO and the alumina-supported NiO were inactive. The study indicates that involvement of homogeneous catalysis cannot be excluded when using the supported catalysts.