Osmium tetroxide in poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG): a recyclable reaction medium for rapid asymmetric dihydroxylation under Sharpless conditionsDedicated to Prof. Goverdhan Mehta on his 60th birthday.Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: experimental details. See http://www.rsc.org/suppdata/cc/b3/b305154b/

PEG (400) has been used as a recyclable and rapid reaction medium for the asymmetric dihydroxylation of olefins; Sharpless ligand is efficiently recovered and recycled with good enantioselectivity.