A general and metal-free catalytic oxidation of aliphatic and aromatic sulfides to their corresponding sulfoxides via combination of ammonium nitrate (NH(4)NO(3)), supported ammonium hydrogen sulfate on silica gel (NH(4)HSO(4)-SiO(2)) and a catalytic amount of ammonium bromide (NH(4)Br) in the presence of wet SiO(2) (50%, w/w) has been investigated. The reactions were carried out heterogeneously and selectively in short reaction times in CH(2)Cl(2) at room temperature. This protocol is mild and efficient compared to other reported methods.
