Lithium salts epoxide ring opening

Very recently, it has been shown that the ring opening of epoxides can be efficiently promoted on the surface of silica with impregnated lithium halides. The reactivity of salts was shown to follow the order Lil > LiBr > LiCl, and the reactivity was strongly increased by adding one equivalent of water to this system [Eq. (24)] [47]. 

Epoxides react with isocyanates at elevated temperatures to give 2-oxazolidinones 347 . A similar reaction is observed with phenylcarbonyl isocyanate. The reaction is catalyzed by palladium (o)-triisopropyl phosphite catalysts, lithium salt-phosphine adducts, aluminum trichloride or calcium ethoxide. The reaction can formally be regarded as interception of the thermally generated 1,3-dipolar intermediates, and it was shown that the reaction does not occur, unless the catalyst initiates ring opening... 

Strongly basic reagents, such as lithium salts of dialkylamines, are required to promote the reaction. The stereochemistry of the ring opening has been investigated by deuterium labeling. A proton cis to the epoxide ring is selectively removed. ... 

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