Regioselective alkyl and alkynyl substitution reactions of epoxy alcohols by the use of organoaluminum ate complexes: regiochemical reversal of nucleophilic substitution reactions.

Unprecedented nucleophilic substitution reactions of 2,3-epoxy-1-alkanols with alkyl- and alkynylaluminum ate complexes have been studied and demonstrated to occur at the C2 position with extremely high stereoselectivity, i.e., with exactly reversed regioselectivity to that obtained in the substitution reactions by normal organoaluminum reagents, resulting in the formation of the C2-alkyl and C2-alkynyl substitution products in excellent yields.