Oxidation of thiols and sulfides under non-aqueous and aprotic conditions uses benzyltriphenylphosphonium dichromate (1, PhCH2PPh3)2 Cr2O7) which is very easily prepared by mixing an aqueous solution of benzyltriphenylphosphonium chloride with CrO3 in 3N HCl at room temperature. This reagent, a stable orange powder which may be stored for a month without loss of activity, is soluble in acetonitrile, chloroform and dichloromethane and slightly soluble in carbon tetrachloride, ether and hexane.
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