Aliphatic alcohols and water in the presence of catalytic amounts of Fe3+ ion introduced as iron(Ill) perchlorate on silica gel carrier perform efficient regiospecific opening of an epoxy ring. Carbon acids esterification with various type alcohols was carried out using the system Fe(ClO4)(3)-silica gel in dichloromethane under conditions excluding solvolysis. Acetylation and formylation of alcohols was performed by efficient transesterification with ethyl acetate and ethyl formate.