Dimethyltin Dichloride Catalyzed Regioselective Alkylation of cis-1,2-Diols at Room Temperature.

Here, we have developed a mild and general method for the regioselective installation of benzyl, allyl, para-methoxybenzyl and naphthyl groups on cis-1,2-diols. The optimized method operates at room temperature using dimethyltin dichloride as catalyst and silver oxide as an additive. The present method works well with both sugars (such as mono- and disaccharides) and nonsugars (such as inositols, propan-1,2-diol, 1,2-cycloalkanediols and anhydroerythritol) and also provides comparatively better functional group compatibility.