Facile conversion of structurally different epoxides to the corresponding B-chlorohydrins was carried out successfully with anhydrous ZnCl2 in CH3CN. The reactions were carried out within 10-50 min to give B-chlorohydrins with perfect regioselectivity and high yields (80-97%).

This study was aimed at highly stereoselective ring-opening of epoxides with acetic anhydride in the presence of molecular sieves 4Å as an efficient reagent. Yields of the 1,2-diacetates are uniformly good to excellent and the reagent may be recycled without the requirement for purification. High yields, short reaction times, ease of preparation and simple work-up procedure (filtration) are advantages of this method.