A very useful and mild method for the deoxygenation of sulfoxide to sulfide with silica bromide as heterogeneous promoter

Silica bromide (SB) as heterogeneous reagent and promoter is prepared from reaction of silica gel with PBr3 as a non-hydroscopic, filterable, cheap, and stable yellowish powder that can be stored for months. The results show that the SB is suitable and efficient reagent for deoxygenation of sulfoxides to the corresponding sulfides under mild conditions at room temperature. The easy availability of this reagent makes this simple procedure attractive and a practical alternative to the existing methods.