Ring Opening of N ‐Sulfonyl Aziridines by Amines in Silica‐Water

Ring opening reactions of N ‐sulfonyl aziridines by primary and secondary amines in silica gel (SG)‐water system were achieved, which provided a mild, practical and environmentally benign method to synthesize mono‐ and bis‐sulfonyl substituted amines. When primary and secondary amines were used in excess, they reacted with N ‐sulfonyl aziridines smoothly at room temperature, mainly affording 1:1 ring opening products. Reactions of primary amines with 2 equiv. of aziridines produced 2:1 ring opening products. Some 1:1 products can be cyclized with CS 2 to synthesize N ‐sulfonyl cyclothioureas also in water.