Chlorinated iminium chlorides have been identified to promote the highly efficient and selective mono-chlorination of unsymmetrical vicinal diols. Vilsmeier reagent, namely, (chloromethylene)dimethyliminium chloride, enables highly reactive and regioselective chlorination of 1,2- and 1,3-diols featured one secondary benzylic hydroxy group and one primary aliphatic hydroxy group to give the corresponding