Magnesium Hydrogensulfate: A Cheap and Efficient Catalyst for the Conversion of Epoxides into β-Alkoxy Alcohols, Vicinal-Diols, and Thiiranes

Abstract The nucleophilic ring opening reactions of epoxides by aliphatic alcohols and water are achieved efficiently in the presence of catalytic amounts of magnesium hydrogensulfate, Mg(HSO4)2, with high degree of regioselectivity. The reactions are chemoselective and many of the other functional groups such as ethereal carbon-oxygen bonds as well as carbon–carbon double bond remain intact under the reaction conditions. Epoxides also react with thiourea or ammonium thiocyanate in the presence of Mg(HSO4)2 to afford the corresponding thiiranes in good to excellent yields.