Polysorbate 80/UHP as a recyclable, bio-degradable and metal-free safer system for the fast oxidation of thiols

Herein, we describe an efficient, fast, mild and sustainable protocol for the oxidation of thiols using Urea Hydrogen Peroxide (UHP) to give the corresponding disulfides in good to excellent yields. The methodology uses polysorbate 80 as a greener solvent and catalyst which was, for the first time, recovered from the reaction medium and reused.