Design and Synthesis of Amphiphilic Catalyst [C₁₆mim]₅VW₁₂O₄₀Br and Its Application in Deep Desulfurization with...

Achieving long-term stable deep desulfurization at room temperature and recovering high value-added sulfone products is a challenge at present. Herein, a series of catalysts [C_nmim]₅VW₁₂O₄₀Br (C_nVW₁₂, 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide tungstovanadate, n = 4, 8, 16) were presented for the room temperature catalytic oxidation of dibenzothiophene (DBT) and its derivatives. Factors affecting the reaction process, such as the amount of catalyst, oxidant, and temperature, were systematically discussed. C₁₆VW₁₂ showed higher catalytic performance, and 100% conversion and selectivity could be achieved in 50 min with only 10 mg. The mechanism study showed that the hydroxyl radical was the active radical in the reaction. Benefiting from the "polarity strategy", the sulfone product accumulated after 23 cycles in a C₁₆VW₁₂ system, and the yield and purity were about 84% and 100%, respectively.