Synthesis of β-aminoalcohols Catalyzed by ZnO

Zinc oxide (ZnO) catalyses the nucleophilic opening of epoxide rings by amines leading to the efficient synthesis of β- aminoalcohols. The reaction works well with aromatic and aliphatic amines in short reaction times and in the absence of any solvent. Exclusive trans stereoselectivity is observed for cyclic epoxides. Furthermore, the catalyst can be reused for several times without any significant loss of catalytic activity.