Ring-Opening of Epoxides in Water

Epoxides and water mix well together. The use of water represents an intriguing alternative to organic solvents, not only for developing green processes but also for exploring a totally new and peculiar reactivity. Epoxides react very efficiently in water with several nucleophiles, and several examples in the literature report that the use of water as reaction medium is essential for realizing processes that cannot be performed alternatively in other reaction media. This contribution is devoted to highlight the unique role of water in the ring-opening reactions of epoxides.