A recyclable fluorous thiourea organocatalyst for the chemoselective oxidation of sulfides

As a kind of organocatalyst, 1-[4-(perfluorooctyl)phenyl]-3-phenylthiourea was employed to the chemoselective oxidation of sulfides in the presence of 30% H2O2. A variety of diaryl, dialkyl, alkyl aryl sulfides could be oxidized to sulfoxide under the mild condition. The catalyst could be easily recovered by fluorous solid-phase extraction for reuse.