Desulfurization of Thiophene in Alkaline Supercritical Water Studied by 1H and 13C NMR

Thiophene, which is one of the major sulfur-containing compounds in crude oil as well as dibenzothiophene, was successfully desulfurized by the heterolytic cleavage of the C–S–C bond through the treatment with NaOH in supercritical water at 400 °C. Thiophene was disintegrated into S2- and such carboxylic acids as formic, acetic, and succinic acids within 1 h.