Problems understanding the way this reaction occurs

[Razar]

Hi, I'm quite new to this forum so please correct me if I've done anything wrong or have gone against any rules! I was going through Organic Chemistry problems and this particular reaction had me stumped for a while. This is the answer to the whole reaction but I don't understand how the reagents affect the original molecule because I can't wrap my head around it. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

Thanks

 

[BabcockHall]

What chemical properties does the anion in (1) possess? The starting material is an epoxide. What do you know about epoxides?

Edited March 11, 2016 by BabcockHall

[Elite Engineer]

The first reagent is a strong anion that attacks one of the carbons in the epoxide molecule, opening up the epoxide molecule. The other 2 steps should be fairly easy to take from this.

 

 

~EE