Hydrogenation of Sulfoxides to Sulfides under Mild Conditions Using Ruthenium Nanoparticle Catalysts

The first demonstration of the hydrogenation of sulfoxides under atmospheric H-2 pressure is reported. The highly efficient reaction is facilitated by a heterogeneous Ru nanoparticle catalyst. The mild reaction conditions enable the selective hydrogenation of a wide range of functionalized sulfoxides to the corresponding sulfides. The high redox ability of RuOx nanoparticles plays a key role in the hydrogenation.