Efficient synthesis of β-amino alcohols by regioselective ring-opening of epoxides with anilines catalyzed by sulfated zirconia under solvent-free conditions

The catalytic efficacy of sulfated zirconia was investigated towards the opening of epoxide rings by aromatic amines under solvent-free conditions to selectively synthesize various β-amino alcohols with high regioselectivity. Interestingly, the SO42−/ZrO2 catalyst was found to exhibit an excellent catalytic activity for the title reaction. Various advantages associated with this novel and environmental friendly protocol include, solvent-free conditions, short reaction times, high product yields, simple workup procedure, and easy recovery and reusability of the catalyst.