Regioselective conversion of epoxides to vicinal nitrohydrins catalyzed by silica-bound 3-{2-[poly(ethylene glycol)]ethyl}-substituted 1-methyl-1H-imidazol-3-ium bromide as a green and reusable catalyst under aqueous thermal conditions

Abstract

An environmentally benign procedure for the synthesis of vicinal nitrohydrins <em>via</em> the regioselective ring opening reaction of epoxides with nitrite anion using silica-bound 3-{2-[poly(ethylene glycol)]ethyl}-substituted 1-methyl-1H-imidazol-3-ium bromide as an effective heterogeneous phase transfer catalyst was described. Short reaction time, high yield of products, simple work-up procedure, and recyclability of the catalyst were some of the striking features of the present protocol. The recovered catalyst could be reused five times without any loss in its catalytic activity and selectivity.