BiCl3-mediated opening of epoxides, a facile route to chlorohydrins or amino alcohols : one reagent, two paths

Opening of epoxides can be an effective means by which a variety of functional groups can be incorporated. In this letter, we outline how variation of conditions, in particular, that of solvent and concentration, give rise to different products using the Lewis acid catalyst BiCl3. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.