Process for the oxidation of organic sulfides

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE OXIDATION OF ORGANIC SULFIDES WHICH COMPRISES THE STEPS OF: (A) ADDING AN ORGANIC SULFIDE SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF DIALKYL, ALKYLARYL, DIARYL, ALKYLARALKYL, ALKYLALKARYL, DIARALKYL, HOMOCYCLIC, HETEROCYCLIC AND AT LEAST TWO THIOETHER GROUPS IN THE MOLECULE-CONTAINING SULFIDES TO A SOLUTION OF NITROGEN TETROXIDE (N2O4) IN AN INERT ORGANIC SOLVENT FOR SAID NITROGEN TETROXIDE, IN AN AMOUNT EQUIVALENT TO AT LEAST ONE MOLE OF NITROGEN TETROXIDE FOR EACH MOLE-EQUIVALENT OF SULFUR PRESENT AS A THIOETHER LINKAGE IN SAID ORGANIC SULFIDE, OXIDIZING THE ORGANIC SULFIDE TO THE CORRESPONDING SULFOXIDE AND REDUCING THE NITROGEN TETROXIDE TO NITROGEN TRIOXIDE (N2O3), (B) DISTILLING OFF THE NITROGEN TRIOXIDE AND THE INERT ORGANIC SOLVENT AND CONDENSING THE DISTILLATE IN THE PRESENCE OF AN OXYGEN-CONTAINING GAS IN QUANTITY AT LEAST SUFFICIENT TO CONVERT SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF THE NITROGEN TRIOXIDE TO THE NITROGEN TETROXIDE AND THEREBY REGENERATING THE OXIDIZING SOLUTION OF NITROGEN TETROXIDE IN THE ORGANIC SOLVENT, AND (C) RECOVERING THE ORGANIC SULFOXIDE FORMED FROM THE RESIDUE OF THE DISTILLATION, THE BOILING POINT OF SAID ORGANIC SOLVENT BEING BELOW THE BOILING POINT OF THE SULFOXIDE FORMED DURING THE REACTION.