Masked amino acid: a new C-nucleophile for I2-catalyzed stereoselective ring opening of epoxides in ionic liquid

The first one-pot molecular iodine catalyzed direct aminoacetylation of terminal epoxides in ionic liquid [bmim]OH is reported. Herein, 2-phenyl-1,3-oxazolon-5-one and a variety of terminal epoxides afford 3-(N-substituted)aminofuran-2-ones in high yield (84–95%) and excellent cis diastereoselectivity (>94%) via ring-opening of terminal epoxides and aminoacetylative cyclization cascade. Operation simplicity, absence of by-product formation, and ambient temperature are the salient features of the present synthetic protocol. After isolation of the product, the ionic liquid [bmim]OH could be easily recycled for further use without any loss of efficiency.