The mechanism for the oxidation of sulfides by [(me4-salen)CrV(O)(pyO)]CF3SO3, where me4-salen is 8,8,8',8'-tetramethylsalen and pyO is pyridine N-oxide, has been investigated. Results from Hammett correlations on the rates of oxidation of substituted thioanisoles, frontier molecular orbital calculations, and product studies are consistent with a mechanism that is initiated by a single electron transfer to give a radical cation intermediate.Key words: oxidation, chromium(V), sulfides, radical cation, oxygen transfer.