The sulfur atoms in organosulfur compounds take on various oxidation states, affecting the physical and chemical properties of the molecules. Therefore, organosulfur compounds have a wide range of applications in natural products, pharmaceuticals, polymer resins, and organic electronic materials. On the other hand, the selective synthesis of organosulfur compounds has been difficult due to the difficulty of controlling these various degrees of oxidation.
In this study, the research group with Associate Professor Haruyasu Asahara, Professor Kei Ohkubo, Assistant Professor Yuki Itabashi (Institute for Open and Transdisciplinary Research Initiatives), and Professor Nagatoshi Nishiwaki (Kochi University of Technology) have synthesized new ammonium salt (tetrabutylammonium chlorite: Bu4NClO2) that can be used even in organic solvents as oxidant. Compared to the conventional sodium salt, this oxidizing reagent is easily soluble in organic solvents and its reaction is easily controlled, making it possible to use it as an oxidant for selectively synthesizing sulfoxides from sulfides. The highly selective oxidation without the use of metallic reagents or peroxides is expected to lead to the synthesis of fine chemicals and pharmaceuticals with reduced environmental impact.
The research results were published in Chemistry - A European Journal on January 7, 2025 (online publication) and featured in Inside front Cover.

This result was published in the RSC journal ‘‘Chemical Communications’’ on May 5, 2023 (published online) and accepted as Front Cover (2023, no. 49).

雑誌名：Chemistry – A European Journal
論文名： Tetrabutylammonium Chlorite as an Efficient Oxidant for Controlled Oxidation of Sulfides to Sulfoxides
著者： Yuki Itabashi, Shuto Ogata, Yusuke Shimada, Minato Kondo, Nagatoshi Nishiwaki, Tsuyoshi Inoue, Haruyasu Asahara, and Kei Ohkubo