4Å molecular sieves catalyzed ring-opening of epoxides to 1,2-diacetates with acetic anhydride

This study was aimed at highly stereoselective ring-opening of epoxides with acetic anhydride in the presence of molecular sieves 4? 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.