The solvent-free chemoselective ring opening of epoxides with carboxylic acids using poly (4-vinylpyridine) supported sulfuric acid as an efficient solid acid catalyst: a very rapid entry into 1, 2-diol mono-esters synthesis

Ring opening reactions of epoxides with nucleophiles are very useful approach in organic synthesis forpreparation of functionalized oxygenated compounds. Solid phase synthesis, in particular reactions using polymersupported catalysts or nucleophiles, has been widely used in organic synthesis mainly because of the ease of separationof products. A facile and highly convenient base-free protocol for the chemoselective ring opening of epoxides forsynthesis of 1, 2-diolmono-esters is described. In this method, the regioselective ring opening of epoxides withcarboxylic acids in the presence of cross-linked poly (4-vinylpyridine) supported Sulfuric acid, [P4-VP]H2SO4, as anew solid proton source, furnishes the corresponding 1, 2-diol mono-esters in a few minutes, at room temperature undersolvent-free conditions and with good to excellent yields. This method is efficient and very rapid for variousstructurally diverse epoxides and carboxylic acids. The advantages of this procedure over some of those reported in theliterature methods are; fast reaction time and very easy work-up procedure. On the other hand polymeric catalystswould be particularly attractive since they can be recovered by filtration and be reused again for several times withoutlosing its activity