Stereospecific isomerization of 3-substituted-3-bromo-1,2-epoxypropanes using magnesium bromide

A novel stereospecific isomerization reaction of 3-substituted-3-bromo-1,2-epoxypropane derivatives into 1-substituted-3-bromo-1,2-epoxypropane derivatives is described. The choice of the solvent crucially influences the isomerization. The tendency of this isomerization could be predicted by comparison of the free energies calculation using ab initio and DFT methods.