Lithium perchlorate-catalyzed regioselective ring-opening of aziridines with potassium thiocyanate

Aziridines react smoothly with potassium thiocyanate in the presence of a catalytic amount of lithium perchlorate in acetonitrile under mild reaction conditions to afford the corresponding β-aminothiocyanates in high yields and with high regioselectivity. The combination of lithium perchlorate and acetonitrile provides a convenient catalytic medium to perform the reactions under neutral conditions.