Vitamin B12 and Micellar Solution Enable Regioselective Ring Opening of Epoxides and Aziridines with Electrophilic Olefins

Vitamin B12, a water-soluble cobalt complex, is inherently predisposed to catalyze reactions under aqueous conditions. Despite its potential, adopting this strategy for transformations of hydrophobic reagents has been challenging, because of their low aqueous solubility. Here, we demonstrate that vitamin B12 promotes the reaction of epoxides and aziridines with electrophilic olefins in a micellar system. The desired products are obtained efficiently in a fully regioselective manner. This green catalytic approach further advances the use of vitamin B12 in sustainable catalysis, providing a valuable method to synthesize important intermediates.