Total Synthesis of Sialic Acid by a Sequential Rhodium-Catalyzed Aziridination and Barbier Allylation of D-Glycal

Advancing carbohydrate functionality: The role of hypervalent iodine

Hypervalent iodine reagents have undergone significant development and widespread application in the functionalization of carbohydrates. This is primarily attributed to their exceptional properties, including mildness, ease of handling, high selectivity, environmental friendliness, and stability. This review aims to emphasize the utilization of hypervalent iodine compounds in the functionalization of carbohydrates. The present article covers various aspects, including glycal functionalization, C-H or N-H insertion reactions, O-arylations, C-2 deoxy-2-iodo glycoconjugates, iminosugars, and C3-oxo-glycals, achieved through the use of hypervalent iodine reagents/catalysts. Additionally, it explores hypervalent iodine-mediated bioactive 1,3,5-trioxocane synthesis followed by rare sugars synthesis.

Recent advances in the total synthesis of polyhydroxylated alkaloids via chiral oxazines

This review summarizes recently established methodologies developed for the enantioselective and diastereoselective synthesis of chiral 1,3-oxazines. These compounds are of interest as advanced synthetic intermediates in the total synthesis of structurally complex and biologically active polyhydroxylated alkaloids such as (+)-1-deoxynojirimycin, (-)-anisomycin, (+)-castanospermine, (+)-casuarine, (-)-conduramine F-1, (-)-sphingofungin B, Neu5Ac methyl ester, and other natural products. The devised synthetic approach aims to offer a direct, efficient, and adaptable method for obtaining both pure enantiomers and pure diastereomers. It revolves around utilizing chiral building blocks like syn,syn-, syn,syn,anti-, syn,anti-, syn,anti,syn-, anti,syn-, anti,syn,syn-, and anti,syn,anti-oxazines. By integrating oxazine chemistry with established and innovative transformations, this approach enabled the synthesis of 30 polyhydroxylated amines across various studies conducted between 2007 and 2022.

Venturing beyond Donor-Controlled Glycosylation: New Perspectives toward Anomeric Selectivity

Glycans are complex compounds consisting of sugars linked glycosidically, existing either as pure polysaccharides or as part of glycoconjugates. They are prevalent in nature and possess important functions in regulating biological pathways. However, their diversity coupled with physiochemical similarities makes it challenging to isolate them in large quantities for biochemical studies, hence hampering progress in glycobiology and glycomedicine. Glycochemistry presents an alternative strategy to obtain pure glycan compounds through artificial synthetic methods. Efforts in glycochemistry have been centered on glycosylation, the key reaction in glycochemistry, especially with regards to anomeric stereoselectivity in polysaccharides and glycoconjugates. In particular, the stereoelectronic and steric properties of glycosyl donors are commonly used to direct the stereoselectivity in glycosylation reactions. Classic glycosylation strategies typically involve saturated glycosyl donors, proceeding either directly using hydrogen bonds and conformational constraints or indirectly by installing moieties covalently through neighboring group participation and intramolecular aglycon delivery. Over the past years, new glycosylation strategies, tapping on the foundations of transition metal catalysis, have emerged. To leverage the power of coordination chemistry, unsaturated glycosyl donors were introduced. Not only are the number of protection/deprotection steps reduced, the resultant unsaturated glycoside provides opportunities for downstream functionalizations, allowing quick access to a variety of sugars, including rare sugars. Alongside the glycosyl donor, an equally important but neglected aspect for targeting stereoselective glycosylation is the glycosyl acceptor. In the case of dual-directing donors, glycosyl acceptors have proved themselves capable of becoming the dominating factor for stereocontrol. Interestingly, rational manipulation or selection of glycosyl acceptors with particular nucleophilicity and p K_a values can lead to different stereoselectivities, thereby proving the tunability of such acceptors to favor the formation of one anomer over the other stereoselectively. By further venturing beyond substrate controlled stereoselectivity, we are presented with the opportunity to effect stereoselective glycosylation through glycosylating reagents. Of the key reagents, stereoselective catalyst stands out as a greener and efficient alternative to direct stereoselective control with stoichiometric substrates. Recently, investigations into this approach of stereocontrol presented an intriguing range of stereoselectivities, achieved by merely varying the nature of catalysts used. Another crucial effort in glycochemistry is enhancing the efficiencies of glycosylations, by reducing the number of preparative steps before or during glycosylation. Through using transient masking groups or one-pot synthetic strategies, these streamlined approaches provide enormous convenience and practicability for oligosaccharide syntheses. This Account presents mainly our advancements beyond the conventional donor-controlled strategies over the past decade, with emphasis placed on mechanistic explanations of anomeric selectivities, thereby providing perspectives to inspire further progress toward a generalized unified strategy for preparing every type of glycan.

NHC catalyzed enantioselective Coates-Claisen rearrangement: a rapid access to the dihydropyran core for oleuropein based secoiridoids

A simple protocol for the synthesis of the dihydropyran core structure of secoiridoids using NHC catalyzed Coates-Claisen rearrangement is described.

Recent progress of C-glycosylation methods in the total synthesis of natural products and pharmaceuticals

C-Glycosylation has found widespread use in the synthesis of biomedically important natural products and pharmaceuticals.

A Semi-Synthetic Glycoconjugate Vaccine Candidate for Carbapenem-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae

Hospital-acquired infections are an increasingly serious health concern. Infections caused by carpabenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CR-Kp) are especially problematic, with a 50 % average survival rate. CR-Kp are isolated from patients with ever greater frequency, 7 % within the EU but 62 % in Greece. At a time when antibiotics are becoming less effective, no vaccines to protect from this severe bacterial infection exist. Herein, we describe the convergent [3+3] synthesis of the hexasaccharide repeating unit from its capsular polysaccharide and related sequences. Immunization with the synthetic hexasaccharide 1 glycoconjugate resulted in high titers of cross-reactive antibodies against CR-Kp CPS in mice and rabbits. Whole-cell ELISA was used to establish the surface staining of CR-Kp strains. The antibodies raised were found to promote phagocytosis. Thus, this semi-synthetic glycoconjugate is a lead for the development of a vaccine against a rapidly progressing, deadly bacterium.

Transition metal-catalyzed iodine(iii)-mediated nitrene transfer reactions: efficient tools for challenging syntheses

The main synthetic applications of catalytic C(sp³)–H amination and alkene aziridination reactions are discussed in the context of natural product synthesis. The examples highlight that these synthetic methods now firmly belong in the organic chemist's toolbox.

Synthesis of sialic acid derivatives based on chiral substrate-controlled stereoselective aldol reactions using pyruvic acid oxabicyclo[2.2.2]octyl orthoester

The synthesis of sialic acids and their analogs was accomplished based on substrate-controlled asymmetric aldol reactions using pyruvic acid oxabicyclo[2.2.2]octyl orthoester.

Biosynthetic and synthetic access to amino sugars

Amino sugars are important constituents of a number of biomacromolecules and products of microbial secondary metabolism, including antibiotics. For most of them, the amino group is located at the positions C1, C2 or C3 of the hexose or pentose ring. In biological systems, amino sugars are formed due to the catalytic activity of specific aminotransferases or amidotransferases by introducing an amino functionality derived from L-glutamate or L-glutamine to the keto forms of sugar phosphates or sugar nucleotides. The synthetic introduction of amino functionalities in a regio- and stereoselective manner onto sugar scaffolds represents a substantial challenge. Most of the modern methods of for the preparation of 1-, 2- and 3-amino sugars are those starting from "an active ester" of carbohydrate derivatives, glycals, alcohols, carbonyl compounds and amino acids. A substantial progress in the development of region- and stereoselective methods of amino sugar synthesis has been made in the recent years, due to the application of metal-based catalysts and tethered approaches. A comprehensive review on the current state of knowledge on biosynthesis and chemical synthesis of amino sugars is presented.

Methyl-α-D-2-selenonyl Pent-2-enofuranoside: A Reactive Selenosugar for the Diversity Oriented Synthesis of Enantiomerically Pure Heterocycles, Carbocycles, and Isonucleosides

The construction of vinyl selenone on a furanoside led to a highly reactive synthetic intermediate methyl-α-D-2-selenonyl pent-2-enofuranoside composed of a masked aldehyde, an electron-deficient double bond along with an excellent leaving group. This new Michael acceptor on reactions with different nucleophiles afforded bicyclic azasugars, cyclopropanated carbohydrate, dihydrofuran- and dihydroisoxazole- substituted furanosides, and isonucleosides in moderate to good yields. Hydrolysis of the hemiacetal linkage of some of these modified carbohydrates afforded enantiopure aziridines, nitrocyclopropane, and dihydrofuran.

Recent advances in synthesis of bacterial rare sugar building blocks and their applications

This Highlight describes recent advances in the synthesis of the bacterial deoxy amino hexopyranoside building blocks and their application in constructing various biologically important bacterial O-glycans.

Novel efficient routes to indoxyl glycosides for monitoring glycosidase activities

A new efficient synthesis for broad access to indoxyl glycosides was developed. Indoxylic acid allyl ester linked to a sugar structure served as the key intermediate in this route. Selective ester cleavage and mild decarboxylation led to the corresponding indoxyl glycosides in good yields. This synthesis was applied for preparation of indoxyl glycosides of fucose, sialic acid, and 6'-sialyl lactose.

De novo synthesis of D- and L-fucosamine containing disaccharides

The availability of rare monosaccharides that cannot be isolated from natural sources is currently limiting the access to the synthesis and the biological evaluation of complex bacterial cell-surface glycans. Here, we report the synthesis of D- and L-fucosamine building blocks by a de novo approach from L- and D-Garner aldehydes. These differentially protected monosaccharide building blocks were utilized to prepare disaccharides present on the surface of Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria.

N-Heterocyclic carbene catalyzed C-glycosylation: a concise approach from Stetter reaction

Described herein is the first example of an organocatalytic approach for acylanion addition to the anomeric carbon of 2-nitroglucal using an N-heterocyclic carbene catalyst. Control over the reaction conditions gives β-selective and nitro-eliminated C-glycosides, providing opportunities to produce new classes of C-glycoside.