The kinetics of cooxidation of several substituted phenyl methyl sulfoxides and oxalic acid with Cr(V1) have been carried out in the presence of perchloric acid. The reaction is first order each in sulfoxide, oxalic acid, Cr(VI), and H'. The products of oxidation are sulfones and carbon dioxide. Electron-releasing groups in the phenyl ring accelerate the rate while electron-withdrawing groups retard it. The Hammett correlation yields a reaction constant of -0.927 +-0.08 ( r = 0.994) at 313 K. Addition of aluminium nitrate prevents the occurrence of cooxidation. Based on the kinetic information a suitable mechanism has been proposed. Diary1 sulfoxides behave in an analogous manner in the cooxidation.C. SRINIVASAN, P. PANDARAKUTTY JEGATHEESAN, S. RAJAGOPAL et N. ARUMUGAM. Can. J. Chem. 65, 2421Chem. 65, (1987.Operant en presence d'acide perchlorique, on a mesure les cinetiques de cooxydation de l'acide oxalique et de plusieurs phenyl methyl sulfoxydes substitues par le Cr(V1). La reaction est du premier ordre en sulfoxyde, en acide oxalique, en Cr(V1) et en H +.Les produits d'oxydation sont les sulfones et le dioxyde de carbone. La presence sur le noyau phenyle de groupements ~lectrodonneurs provoque une augmentation de la vitesse de la reaction alors que les groupements electroaffinitaires la diminue.A 313 K, la correlation de Hamrnett conduit i une constante de reaction de -0,927 + 0,08 (r = 0,994). L'addition de nitrate d'aluminium empkche la reaction de se produire. Sur la base des informations cinetiques, on propose un mecanisme approprie. Les sulfoxydes de diaryles se cornportent d'une fason similaire lors de cooxydations.[Traduit par la revue] Introduction A dramatic rate acceleration was observed by Hasan and RoEek (I) in the Cr(V1) oxidation of a mixture of isopropanol and oxalic acid compared to the Cr(V1) oxidations of either of the above substrates. They attributed this rate acceleration to the phenomenon called cooxidation wherein both substrates undergo oxidation simultaneously. On the other hand, oxalic acid acts as a catalyst in the Cr(V1) oxidations of iodide (2) and ferroin (3). Recently the mechanisms of oxidation of alkyl aryl sulfoxides (4) and diaryl sulfoxides (5) by Cr(V1) have been reported and therefore the study of the influence of oxalic acid on the rates of Cr(V1) oxidation of sulfoxides will be of particular interest. In this paper we wish to report the salient features of the Cr(V1) oxidation of sulfoxides in the presence of oxalic acid.