Synthesis of diverse β-(nitrooxy)-substituted amines by regioselective ring-opening of aziridines under neat conditions

An efficient and regioselective method was developed for the synthesis of β-(nitrooxy)-substituted amine derivatives by ring-opening of different aziridines with Zn(NO₃)₂·6H₂O without using additives or catalyst. A library of β-(nitrooxy)-substituted amine derivatives having a variety of substituents has been synthesized. Excellent regioselectivity, high yields, clean reaction, ease of product isolation, easily accessible reactants, and solvent-free as well as environment friendly reaction conditions are the notable advantages of the present methodology. The nitrooxy derivative was successfully transformed into hydroxy derivative by simple reduction. Gram-scale synthesis demonstrates the potential applications of the present method.