compounds and methods for sorbing organosulfur compounds from fluids are provided . generally , compounds according to the present invention comprise mesoporous , nanocrystalline metal oxides . preferred metal oxide compounds either exhibit soft lewis acid properties or are impregnated with a material exhibiting soft lewis acid properties . methods according to the invention comprise contacting a fluid containing organosulfur contaminants with a mesoporous , nanocrystalline metal oxide . in a preferred embodiment , nanocrystalline metal oxide particles are formed into pellets and placed inside a fuel filter housing for removing organosulfur contaminants from a hydrocarbon fuel stream .