Unitat de Recreca en Síntesi Asimètrica (URSA-PCB), Parc Científic de Barcelona and Departament de Química Orgànica, Universitat de Barcelona, c/Josep Samitier, 1-5, E-08028 Barcelona, Spain.
[reaction: see text] A simple and convenient methodology for the preparation of optically pure 2-amino-2-aryl-1,1-diphenylethanols is presented. Allylamine was found to produce the ring-opening of triaryloxiranes in a regioselective and a stereospecific fashion. Removal of the allyl protecting group provided the free 1,2-amino alcohols in enantiomerically pure form.