DMSO doesn't convert to dimethyl sulfate in the body, it does convert to the sulfone though ("MSM", which is also sold as a supplement). One person in
the world had a magical body that supposedly converted DMSO to dimethyl sulfate. DMSO is used even intravenously as a transporter in medicinal
formulations.
Sulfoxide oxidizes to sulfone with strong oxidants, like H2O2, organic peroxides, hydroperoxides. Acidic aq. Cl2 yields the sulfone and
methanesulfonyl chloride. Not even ozone (one of the most powerful oxidants there is) apparently oxidizes beyond sulfone. Have a look at this bulletin
on page 17: http://www.gaylordchemical.com/bulletins/Bulletin105B/index.... There seem to be a few papers in the net on the oxidation of sulfoxide with ozone.
And dimethyl sulfone is a very stable material, literature reports when it was heated with fuming nitric and fuming sulfuric acid nitrating mixture
for several hours, it did not decompose it!
I know myself also that if you store DMSO for a long time (several years), it becomes rancid (worthless medicinally, but still usable for some
chemical reactions) and takes on strong dimethyl sulfide odor. I don't recall if I read somewhere, if not some paraformaldehyde might also form in the
mix also. |