Stereoselective Synthesis of 2‐Deoxyglycosides from Glycals by Visible‐Light‐Induced Photoacid Catalysis

Regioselective Substitution of BINOL

1,1'-Bi-2-naphthol (BINOL) has been extensively used as the chirality source in the fields of molecular recognition, asymmetric synthesis, and materials science. The direct electrophilic substitution at the aromatic rings of the optically active BINOL has been developed as one of the most convenient strategies to structurally modify BINOL for diverse applications. High regioselectivity has been achieved for the reaction of BINOL with electrophiles. Depending upon the reaction conditions and substitution patterns, various functional groups can be introduced to the specific positions, such as the 6-, 5-, 4-, and 3-positions, of BINOL. Ortho-lithiation at the 3-position directed by the functional groups at the 2-position of BINOL have been extensively used to prepare the 3- and 3,3'-substituted BINOLs. The use of transition metal-catalyzed C-H activation has also been explored to functionalize BINOL at the 3-, 4-, 5-, 6-, and 7-positions. These regioselective substitutions of BINOL have allowed the construction of tremendous amount of BINOL derivatives with fascinating structures and properties as reviewed in this article. Examples for the applications of the optically active BINOLs with varying substitutions in asymmetric catalysis, molecular recognition, chiral sensing and materials are also provided.

Harnessing Multistep Chalcogen Bonding Activation in the α-Stereoselective Synthesis of Iminoglycosides

The use of noncovalent interactions (NCIs) has received significant attention as a pivotal synthetic handle. Recently, the exploitation of unconventional NCIs has gained considerable traction in challenging reaction manifolds such as glycosylation due to their capacity to facilitate entry into difficult-to-access sugars and glycomimetics. While investigations involving oxacyclic pyrano- or furanoside scaffolds are relatively common, methods that allow the selective synthesis of biologically important iminosugars are comparatively rare. Here, we report the capacity of a phosphonochalcogenide (PCH) to catalyze the stereoselective α-iminoglycosylation of iminoglycals with a wide array of glycosyl acceptors with remarkable protecting group tolerance. Mechanistic studies have illuminated the counterintuitive role of the catalyst in serially activating both the glycosyl donor and acceptor in the up/downstream stages of the reaction through chalcogen bonding (ChB). The dynamic interaction of chalcogens with substrates opens up new mechanistic opportunities based on iterative ChB catalyst engagement and disengagement in multiple elementary steps.

Anion-Bridged Dual Hydrogen Bond Enabled Concerted Addition of Phenol to Glycal

A noncovalent organocatalytic concerted addition of phenol to glycal is developed for the stereoselective and regioselective construction of biologically important phenolic 2-deoxyglycosides, featuring wide substrate tolerance. The method relies on an anion-bridged dual hydrogen bond interaction which is experimentally proved by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), Ultraviolet and visible (UV-vis), and fluorescence analysis. Experimental evidence including kinetic analysis, Kinetic Isotope Effect (KIE) studies, linear free energy relationship, Hammett plot, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations is provided for a concerted mechanism where a high-energy oxocarbenium ion is not formed. In addition, the potential utility of this method is further demonstrated by the synthesis of biologically active glycosylated flavones. The benchmarking studies demonstrate significant advances in this newly developed method compared to previous approaches.

Exploiting π and Chalcogen Interactions for the β-Selective Glycosylation of Indoles through Glycal Conformational Distortion

Harnessing unconventional noncovalent interactions (NCIs) is emerging as a formidable synthetic approach in difficult-to-access glycosidic chemical space. C-Glycosylation, in particular, has gained a flurry of recent attention. However, most reported methods are restricted to the relatively facile access to α-C-glycosides. Herein, we disclose a β-stereoselective glycosylation of indoles by employing a phosphonoselenide catalyst. The robustness of this protocol is exemplified by its amenability for reaction at both the indolyl C- and N- reactivity sites. In contrast to previous reports, in which the chalcogens were solely involved in Lewis acidic activation, our mechanistic investigation unraveled that the often neglected flanking aromatic substituents of phosphonoselenides can substantially contribute to catalysis by engaging in π-interactions. Computations and NMR spectroscopy indicated that the chalcogenic and aromatic components of the catalyst can be collectively exploited to foster conformational distortion of the glycal away from the usual half-chair to the boat conformation, which liberates the convex β-face for nucleophilic attack.

Fe(III)-catalyzed stereoselective synthesis of deoxyglycosides using stable bifunctional deoxy-phenylpropiolate glycoside donors

Herein, we report a mild and economical route for the stereoselective synthesis of 2-deoxy and 2,6-dideoxyglycosides via FeCl3-catalyzed activation of bench stable deoxy-phenylpropiolate glycosyl donors (D-PPGs). Optimized reaction conditions work well under additive-free conditions to afford the corresponding 2-deoxy and 2,6-dideoxyglycosides in good yields with high α-anomeric selectivity by reacting with sugar and non-sugar-based acceptors. The optimized conditions were also extended for disarmed D-PPG donors. In addition, the developed strategy is amenable to high-scale-up synthesis.

Transformations of carbohydrate derivatives enabled by photocatalysis and visible light photochemistry

This review article highlights the diverse ways in which recent developments in the areas of photocatalysis and visible light photochemistry are impacting synthetic carbohydrate chemistry. The major topics covered are photocatalytic glycosylations, generation of radicals at the anomeric position, transformations involving radical formation at non-anomeric positions, additions to glycals, processes initiated by photocatalytic hydrogen atom transfer from sugars, and functional group interconversions at OH and SH groups. Factors influencing stereo- and site-selectivity in these processes, along with mechanistic aspects, are discussed.

Reagent-controlled chemo/stereoselective glycosylation of ʟ-fucal to access rare deoxysugars

2,6-Dideoxy sugars constitute an important class of anticancer antibiotics natural products and serve as essential medicinal tools for carbohydrate-based drug discovery and vaccine development. In particular, 2-deoxy ʟ-fucose or ʟ-oliose is a rare sugar and vital structural motif of several potent antifungal and immunosuppressive bioactive molecules. Herein, we devised a reagent-controlled stereo and chemoselective activation of ʟ-fucal, enabling the distinctive glycosylation pathways to access the rare ʟ-oliose and 2,3-unsaturated ʟ-fucoside. The milder oxo-philic Bi(OTf)3 catalyst induced the direct 1,2-addition predominantly, whereas B(C6F5)3 promoted the allylic Ferrier-rearrangement of the enol-ether moiety in ʟ-fucal glycal donor, distinguishing the competitive mechanisms. The reagent-tunable modular approach is highly advantageous, employing greener catalysts and atom-economical transformations, expensive ligand/additive-free, and probed for a diverse range of substrates comprising monosaccharides, amino-acids, bioactive natural products, and drug scaffolds embedded with susceptible or labile functionalities.

Photosensitizer-free visible-light-promoted glycosylation enabled by 2-glycosyloxy tropone donors

Photochemical glycosylation has attracted considerable attention in carbohydrate chemistry. However, to the best of our knowledge, visible-light-promoted glycosylation via photoactive glycosyl donor has not been reported. In the study, we report a photosensitizer-free visible-light-mediated glycosylation approach using a photoactive 2-glycosyloxy tropone as the donor. This glycosylation reaction proceeds at ambient temperature to give a wide range of O-glycosides or oligosaccharides with yields up to 99%. This method is further applied in the stereoselective preparation of various functional glycosyl phosphates/phosphosaccharides, the construction of N-glycosides/nucleosides, and the late-stage glycosylation of natural products or pharmaceuticals on gram scales, and the iterative synthesis of hexasaccharide. The protocol features uncomplicated conditions, operational simplicity, wide substrate scope (58 examples), excellent compatibility with functional groups, scalability of products (7 examples), and high yields. It provides an efficient glycosylation method for accessing O/N-glycosides and glycans.

Alcoholic Solvent-Mediated Excited-State Proton Transfer Dynamics of a Novel Dihydroxynaphthalene Dye

The excited-state proton transfer (ESPT) reaction is an important primary photochemical process because it is closely related to photophysical properties. Although ESPT research in aqueous solutions is predominant, alcoholic solvent-mediated ESPT studies are also significant in terms of photoacid-based reactions. Especially, the research for dihydroxynaphthalenes (DHNs) has been largely neglected due to the challenging data interpretation of two hydroxyl groups. A novel fluorescent dye, resveratrone, synthesized by light irradiation of resveratrol, which is famous for its antioxidant properties, can be regarded as a type of DHN, and it has distinctive optical properties, including high quantum yield, a large two-photon absorption coefficient, a large Stokes shift, and very high biocompatibility. In this study, we investigate the overall kinetics of the optical properties of resveratrone and find evidence for alcoholic solvent-mediated ESPT involvement in the radiative properties of resveratrone with a large Stokes shift. Our investigation provides an opportunity to revisit the overlooked photophysical properties of intriguing photoacid behavior and the large Stokes shift of the dihydroxynaphthalene dye.

Development of α-Selective Glycosylation with l-Oleandral and Its Application to the Total Synthesis of Oleandrin

This letter describes the development of an α-selective glycosylation using l-oleandrose, a 2-deoxysugar that is frequently found in natural products, and its application to the total synthesis of the natural cardiotonic steroids oleandrin and beaumontoside. To improve the reaction diastereoselectivity and to minimize side-product formation, an extensive evaluation and optimization of the conditions leading to α-selective glycosylation of digitoxigenin with l-oleandrose-based donors was conducted. These studies led to the exploration of 8 different phosphine·acid complexes or salts and yielded HBr·PPh₃ as the optimal catalyst, which provided in the cleanest α-glycosylation and produced protected beaumontoside in 67% yield. Subsequent application of these conditions to synthetic oleandrigenin afforded the desired α-product in 69% isolated yield─enabling the completion of the first synthesis of oleandrin in 17 steps (1.2% yield) from testosterone.

Photochemical synthesis of pyrano[2,3-d]pyrimidine scaffolds using photoexcited organic dye, Na2 eosin Y as direct hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) photocatalyst via visible light-mediated under air atmosphere

The Knoevenagel-Michael cyclocondensation of barbituric acid/1,3-dimethylbarbituric acid, malononitrile, and arylaldehyde derivatives was used to construct a multicomponent green tandem method for the metal-free synthesis of pyrano[2,3-d]pyrimidine scaffolds. At room temperature in aqueous ethanol, photo-excited state functions generated from Na₂ eosin Y were employed as direct hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) catalysts by visible light mediated in the air atmosphere. This research looks towards expanding the use of a non-metallic organic dye that is both affordable and readily available. Because of its good yields, energy-effectiveness, high atom economy, time-saving qualities of the reaction, and operational simplicity, Na₂ eosin Y is photochemically produced with the least amount of a catalyst. As a result, various ecological and sustainable chemical properties are met. Surprisingly, such cyclization may be carried out on a gram scale, indicating the reaction's potential industrial application.

Excited state proton transfer of triplet state p-nitrophenylphenol to amine and alcohol: a spectroscopic and kinetic study

Hydroxyaromatic compounds (ArOHs) have a wide range of applications in catalytic synthesis and biological processes due to their increased acidity upon photo-excitation. The proton transfer of ArOHs via the excited singlet state has been extensively studied. However, there has still been a debate on the unique type of ArOH that can undergo an ultrafast intersystem crossing. The nitro group in p-nitrophenylphenol (NO₂-Bp-OH) enhances the spin-orbit coupling between excited singlet states and the triplet manifold, enabling ultrafast intersystem crossing and the formation of the long-lived lowest excited triplet state (T₁) with a high yield. In this work, we used time-resolved transient absorption to investigate the excited state proton transfer of NO₂-Bp-OH in its T₁ state to t-butylamine, methanol, and ethanol. The T₁ state of the deprotonated form NO₂-Bp-O^- was first observed and identified in the case of t-butylamine. Kinetic analysis demonstrates that the formation of the hydrogen-bonded complex with methanol and ethanol as proton acceptors involves their trimers. The alcohol oligomer size required in the excited state proton transfer process is dependent on the excited acidity of photoacid.

New Role for Photoexcited Na2 Eosin Y via the Direct Hydrogen Atom Transfer Process in Photochemical Visible-Light-Induced Synthesis of 2-Amino-4H-Chromene Scaffolds Under Air Atmosphere

The Knoevenagel-Michael cyclocondensation of malononitrile, aryl aldehydes, and resorcinol was used as a multicomponent green tandem strategy for the metal-free synthesis of 2-amino-4H-chromene scaffolds. Through a visible-light-induced process, the photo-excited state functions derived from Na₂ eosin Y were used as direct hydrogen atom transfer catalysts in aqueous ethanol at ambient temperature. The purpose of this study was to examine the further use of an organic dye that does not contain metal and is inexpensive and commercially available. Na₂ eosin Y is synthesized by photochemical means using the least amount of catalyst, which results in excellent yields, energy efficiency, and environmental friendliness, high atom economy, time-saving features, and ease of operation. As a result, some properties of green and sustainable chemistry are met. This kind of cyclization can be performed on a gram scale, indicating the potential utility of this reaction in industry.

Eosin-Y/Cu(OAc)2-catalyzed aerobic oxidative coupling reactions of glycine esters in the dark

Catalytic aerobic oxidative coupling reactions of glycine esters with β-keto acids, indoles, naphthols, and pyrrole have been realized at ambient temperature via the manipulation of the ground state reactivity of eosin-Y in the presence of Cu(OAc)₂ in the dark. This method delivers structurally diverse unnatural amino acid derivatives under mild reaction conditions. UV-vis absorption spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, high-resolution mass spectrometry, and control experiments were performed to formulate a plausible mechanistic pathway. The step economy, broad substrate scope, use of air as a green oxidant, and operationally simple set-up make this protocol highly appealing for both academic and industrial applications.

Recent Advances in Stereoselective Chemical O-Glycosylation Reactions

Carbohydrates involving glycoconjugates play a pivotal role in many life processes. Better understanding toward glycobiological events including the structure–function relationship of these biomolecules and for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes including tailor-made vaccine development and synthesis of structurally well-defined oligosaccharides (OS) become important. Efficient chemical glycosylation in high yield and stereoselectivity is however challenging and depends on the fine tuning of a protection profile to get matching glycosyl donor–acceptor reactivity along with proper use of other important external factors like catalyst, solvent, temperature, activator, and additive. So far, many glycosylation methods have been reported including several reviews also. In the present review, we will concentrate our discussion on the recent trend on α- and β-selective glycosylation reactions reported during the past decade.

P(v) intermediate-mediated E1cB elimination for the synthesis of glycals

Glycals are highly versatile and useful building blocks in the chemistry of carbohydrate and natural products. However, the practical synthesis of glycals remains a long-standing and mostly unsolved problem in synthetic chemistry. Herein, we present an unprecedented approach to make a variety of glycals using phosphonium hydrolysis-induced, P(v) intermediate-mediated E1cB elimination. The method provides a highly efficient, practical and scalable strategy for the synthesis of glycals with good generality and excellent yields. Furthermore, the strategy was successfully applied to late-stage modification of complex drug-like molecules. Additionally, the corresponding 1-deuterium-glycals were produced easily by simple ^tBuONa/D₂O-hydrolysis–elimination. Mechanistic investigations indicated that the oxaphosphorane intermediate-mediated E1cB mechanism is responsible for the elimination reaction.

A novel glucosylphosphonium-hydrolysis induced E1cB-elimination provides a highly efficient, practical and scalable method for the synthesis of glycals with good compatibility and excellent yields.

Iterative Synthesis of 2-Deoxyoligosaccharides Enabled by Stereoselective Visible-Light-Promoted Glycosylation

The photoinitiated intramolecular hydroetherification of alkenols has been used to form C-O bonds, but the intermolecular hydroetherification of alkenes with alcohols remains an unsolved challenge. We herein report the visible-light-promoted 2-deoxyglycosylation of alcohols with glycals. The glycosylation reaction was completed within 2 min in a high quantum yield (ϕ=28.6). This method was suitable for a wide array of substrates and displayed good reaction yields and excellent stereoselectivity. The value of this protocol was further demonstrated by the iterative synthesis of 2-deoxyglycans with α-2-deoxyglycosidic linkages up to a 20-mer in length and digoxin with β-2-deoxyglycosidic linkages. Mechanistic studies indicated that this reaction involved a glycosyl radical cation intermediate and a photoinitiated chain process.

Can Brønsted Photobases Act as Lewis Photobases?

Dative bonding or Lewis acid-base chemistry underpins a large number of chemical phenomena in a variety of fields, such as catalysis, metal-ligand interactions, and surface chemistry. Developing light-controlled Lewis acid-base interactions could offer a new way of controlling and understanding such phenomena. Photoinduced proton transfer, that is, excited-state Brønsted acidity and basicity, has been extensively studied and applied. Here, in direct analogy to excited-state Brønsted basicity, we show that exciting a photobasic molecule with light generates a thermodynamic drive for the transfer of a Lewis acid from a donor to a photobasic molecule. We have used the archetypal BF₃ as our Lewis acid and our photoactive Lewis bases are a family of quinolines, which are known Brønsted photobases as well. We have constructed the experimental Förster cycle for this system and have verified it computationally to demonstrate that a significant drive (0.2-0.7 eV) exists for the transfer of BF₃ to a photoexcited quinoline. The magnitude of this drive is similar to those reported for Brønsted photobasicity in quinolines. Computational results from TDDFT and energy decomposition analysis show that the origin of such an effect is similar to the Brønsted photoactivity of these molecules, in that they follow the Hammett parameter of substituent groups. These results suggest that photobases may be capable of controlling the chemical phenomena beyond proton transfer and may open opportunities for a new handle in photocatalysis.

Visible-Light-Induced Radical Condensation Cyclization to Synthesize 3,4-Dihydropyrimidin-2-(1H)-ones/thiones Using Photoexcited Na2 Eosin Y as a Direct Hydrogen Atom Transfer (HAT) Catalyst

The data suggests that Na₂ eosin Y-derived photoinduced states act as a HAT catalyst for the synthesis of 3,4-dihydropyrimidin-2-(1H)-ones/thiones in ethanol at room temperature. This research establishes a novel function for using a nonmetallic natural dye, Na₂ eosin Y, available commercially and at a cheap cost in the photochemical synthesis using the least amount of catalyst, obtaining good results, speeding up the process, and achieving a high atom economy. The TON and TOF of 3,4-dihydropyrimidin-2-(1H)-ones/thiones are computed. Furthermore, this cycle runs on the gram scale as well, indicating the possibility of industrial purposes.

Photoacid-Enabled Synthesis of Indanes via Formal [3 + 2] Cycloaddition of Benzyl Alcohols with Olefins

An environmentally friendly and highly diastereoselective method for synthesizing indanes has been developed via a metastable-state photoacid system containing catalytic protonated merocyanine (MEH). Under visible-light irradiation, MEH yields a metastable spiro structure and liberated protons, which facilitates the formation of carbocations from benzyl alcohols, thus delivering diverse molecules in the presence of various nucleophiles. Mainly, a variety of indanes could be easily obtained from benzyl alcohols and olefins, and water is the only byproduct.

Bismuth-Catalyzed Stereoselective 2-Deoxyglycosylation of Disarmed/Armed Glycal Donors

Bi(OTf)₃ promoted direct and highly stereoselective glycosylation of "disarmed" and "armed" glycals to synthesize 2-deoxyglycosides has been reported. The tunable and solvent-controlled chemoselective activation of deactivated glycal donors distinguishing the competitive Ferrier and 1,2-addition pathways was discovered to improve substrate scope. The practical versatility of the method has been amply demonstrated with the oligosaccharide syntheses and 2-deoxyglycosylation of high-value natural products and drugs.

Exploring Eosin Y as a bimodular catalyst: organophotoacid mediated Minisci-type acylation of N-heteroarenes

Here we report Eosin Y as a bimodular catalyst for Minisci-type acylation reactions. The formation of organic exciplexes between photoexcited Eosin Y and N-heteroarenes was found to be a stabilizing factor for photoacid catalysis under optimized conditions. Spectroscopic investigations such as steady state fluorescence quenching and dynamic lifetime quenching experiments were employed to better understand the role of Eosin Y as both a photoredox catalyst and a photoacid. Feedstock aldehydes were employed as acyl radical precursors for engaging in C-C bond formation reactions with a variety of nitrogen containing heterocycles.

Deoxy sugars. General methods for carbohydrate deoxygenation and glycosidation

Deoxy sugars represent an important class of carbohydrates, present in a large number of biomolecules involved in multiple biological processes. In various antibiotics, antimicrobials, and therapeutic agents the presence of deoxygenated units has been recognized as responsible for biological roles, such as adhesion or great affinity to receptors, or improved efficacy. The characterization of glycosidases and glycosyltranferases requires substrates, inhibitors and analogous compounds. Deoxygenated sugars are useful for carrying out specific studies for these enzymes. Deoxy sugars, analogs of natural substrates, may behave as substrates or inhibitors, or may not interact with the enzyme. They are also important for glycodiversification studies of bioactive natural products and glycobiological processes, which could contribute to discovering new therapeutic agents with greater efficacy by modification or replacement of sugar units. Deoxygenation of carbohydrates is, thus, of great interest and numerous efforts have been dedicated to the development of methods for the reduction of sugar hydroxyl groups. Given that carbohydrates are the most important renewable chemicals and are more oxidized than fossil raw materials, it is also important to have methods to selectively remove oxygen from certain atoms of these renewable raw materials. The different methods for removal of OH groups of carbohydrates and representative or recent applications of them are presented in this chapter. Glycosidic bonds in general, and 2-deoxy glycosidic linkages, are included. It is not the scope of this survey to cover all reports for each specific technique.

Visible light promoted polyhalomethylation of alkenes: alkylation and cyclization

The report describes a visible light promoted carbochloromethylation of 2-bromomethyl acrylate and N-arylmethacrylamide, and a series of trihalomethyl substituted allylic acid esters and indolone derivatives were synthesized.

Organocatalysis applied to carbohydrates: from roots to current developments

Organocatalysis emerged in the last decade as a powerful tool for the synthesis of complex molecules. In the field of carbohydrates, it found widespread use in the synthesis of rare and non-natural carbohydrate derivatives. Additionally, it has also found important application in the stereoselective functionalization of the anomeric carbon in glycosylation reactions. These efforts culminated in the development of different types of catalysts operating through distinct activation modes that allow the selective synthesis of α- or β-glycosides even on daunting substrates. All these advances starting from its first examples in carbohydrate synthesis to the current developments in glycosylation reactions are reviewed.

Visible-light-induced photoacid catalysis: application in glycosylation with O-glycosyl trichloroacetimidates

The development of visible-light-induced photoacid catalyzed glycosylation is reported. The eosin Y and PhSSPh catalyst system is applied to realize glycosylation with different glycosyl donors upon light irradiation. The reaction shows a broad substrate scope, including both glycosyl donors and acceptors, and highlights the mild nature of the reaction conditions.

Visible-light-promoted 3,5-dimethoxyphenyl glycoside activation and glycosylation

A new glycosylation method promoted by visible light with 3,5-dimethoxyphenyl glycoside as the donor was developed. This protocol delivers both O-glycosides and N-glycosides in moderate to excellent yields using a wide range of O-nucleophiles and nucleobases as the glycosyl acceptors.

Eosin: a versatile organic dye whose synthetic uses keep expanding

Organic dyes, which absorb light in the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum, offer a lower cost, greener alternative to precious metals in photocatalysis. In this context, the organic dye eosin's uses are currently expanding at a significant rate. For a long time, its action as an energy transfer agent dominated, more recently, however, there has been a growing interest in its potential as an electron transfer agent. In this short review, we highlight some recent (from 2016 onwards) contributions to the field with a focus on the breadth of the reactions eosin can catalyse.

Catalyst-Free Spontaneous Polymerization with 100% Atom Economy: Facile Synthesis of Photoresponsive Polysulfonates with Multifunctionalities

Photoresponsive polymers have attracted extensive attention due to their tunable functionalities and advanced applications; thus, it is significant to develop facile in situ synthesis strategies, extend polymers family, and establish various applications for photoresponsive polymers. Herein, we develop a catalyst-free spontaneous polymerization of dihaloalkynes and disulfonic acids without photosensitive monomers for the in situ synthesis of photoresponsive polysulfonates at room temperature in air with 100% atom economy in high yields. The resulting polysulfonates could undergo visible photodegradation with strong photoacid generation, leading to various applications including dual-emissive or 3D photopatterning, and practical broad-spectrum antibacterial activity. The halogen-rich polysulfonates also exhibit a high and photoswitched refractive index and could undergo efficient postfunctionalizations to further expand the variety and functionality of photoresponsive heteroatom-containing polyesters.

Nitrogen-Centered Radical-Mediated Cascade Amidoglycosylation of Glycals

A nitrogen-centered radical-mediated strategy for preparing 1,2-trans-2-amino-2-deoxyglycosides in one step was established. The cascade amidoglycosylation was initiated by a benzenesulfonimide radical generated from NFSI under the catalytic reduction of TEMPO. The benzenesulfonimide radical was electrophilically added to the glycals, and then the resulting glycosidic radical was converted to oxocarbenium upon oxidation by TEMPO⁺, which enabled the following anomeric specific glycosylation.

Recent Advances in Photoacid Catalysis for Organic Synthesis

Photoacids are molecules that become more acidic upon the absorption of light. This short review highlights recent advances in the use of photoacids as catalysts for organic synthesis. Photoacid-catalyzed­ transformations discussed herein include: Protonation, glycosylation, acetalization, and arylation reactions.

1 Introduction

2 Protonation: Excited-State Proton Transfer (ESPT)

3 Glycosylation

4 Acetalization

5 Friedel–Crafts Arylation

6 Additional C–C and C–S Bond-Forming Reactions

7 Conclusion

Sequential activation of thioglycosides enables one-pot glycosylation

This review describes recent developments in relative reactivity value (RRV) controlled sequential glycosylation, pre-activation based iterative glycosylation, and sulfoxide activation initiated one-pot glycosylation.

Trace mild acid-catalysed Z → E isomerization of norbornene-fused stilbene derivatives: intelligent chiral molecular photoswitches with controllable self-recovery

Stilbene derivatives have long been known to undergo “acid-catalyzed” Z → E isomerization, where a strong mineral acid at high concentration is practically necessary. Such severe reaction conditions often cause undesired by-reactions and limit their potential application. Herein, we present a trace mild acid-catalyzed Z → E isomerization found with stilbene derivatives fused with a norbornene moiety. By-reactions, such as the migration of the C Created by potrace 1.16, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2019 ]]> C double bond and electrophilic addition reactions, were completely inhibited because of the ring strain caused by the fused norbornene component. Direct photolysis of the E isomers at selected wavelengths led to the E → Z photoisomerization of these stilbene derivatives and thus constituted a unique class of molecular switches orthogonally controllable by light and acid. The catalytic amount of acid could be readily removed, and the Z → E isomerization could be controlled by turning on/off the irradiation of a photoacid, which allowed repeated isomerization in a non-invasive manner. Moreover, the Z isomer produced by photoisomerization could spontaneously self-recover to the E isomer in the presence of a catalytic amount of acid. The kinetics of Z → E isomerization were adjustable by manipulating catalytic factors and, therefore, unprecedented molecular photoswitches with adjustable self-recovery were realized.

Quantitative Z → E isomerization was catalyzed by trace mild acids to offer molecular switches orthogonally controllable by acid and light.

Synthesis of Glycosyl Fluorides by Photochemical Fluorination with Sulfur(VI) Hexafluoride

This study describes a new convenient method for the photocatalytic generation of glycosyl fluorides using sulfur(VI) hexafluoride as an inexpensive and safe fluorinating agent and 4,4′-dimethoxybenzophenone as a readily available organic photocatalyst. This mild method was employed to generate 16 different glycosyl fluorides, including the substrates with acid and base labile functionalities, in yields of 43%–97%, and it was applied in continuous flow to accomplish fluorination on an 7.7 g scale and 93% yield.

Visible light photocatalysis in the late-stage functionalization of pharmaceutically relevant compounds

The late stage functionalization (LSF) of complex biorelevant compounds is a powerful tool to speed up the identification of structure-activity relationships (SARs) and to optimize ADME profiles. To this end, visible-light photocatalysis offers unique opportunities to achieve smooth and clean functionalization of drugs by unlocking site-specific reactivities under generally mild reaction conditions. This review offers a critical assessment of current literature, pointing out the recent developments in the field while emphasizing the expected future progress and potential applications. Along with paragraphs discussing the visible-light photocatalytic synthetic protocols so far available for LSF of drugs and drug candidates, useful and readily accessible synoptic tables of such transformations, divided by functional groups, will be provided, thus enabling a useful, fast, and easy reference to them.

Iridium-promoted deoxyglycoside synthesis: stereoselectivity and mechanistic insight

Herein, we devised a method for stereoselective O-glycosylation using an Ir(i)-catalyst which enables both hydroalkoxylation and nucleophilic substitution of glycals with varying substituents at the C3 position. In this transformation, 2-deoxy-α-O-glycosides were acquired when glycals equipped with a notoriously poor leaving group at C3 were used; in contrast 2,3-unsaturated-α-O-glycosides were produced from glycals that bear a good leaving group at C3. Mechanistic studies indicate that both reactions proceed via the directing mechanism, through which the acceptor coordinates to the Ir(i) metal in the α-face-coordinated Ir(i)-glycal π-complex and then attacks the glycal that contains the O-glycosidic bond in a syn-addition manner. This protocol exhibits good functional group tolerance and is exemplified with the preparation of a library of oligosaccharides in moderate to high yields and with excellent stereoselectivities.

Ir(i)-catalyzed α-selective O-glycosylation of glycals provided an access to both 2-deoxyglycosides and 2,3-unsaturated glycosides with a broad substrate scope. The underlying rationale of α-selectivity has been illustrated by the DFT study.

A robust and tunable halogen bond organocatalyzed 2-deoxyglycosylation involving quantum tunneling

The development of noncovalent halogen bonding (XB) catalysis is rapidly gaining traction, as isolated reports documented better performance than the well-established hydrogen bonding thiourea catalysis. However, convincing cases allowing XB activation to be competitive in challenging bond formations are lacking. Herein, we report a robust XB catalyzed 2-deoxyglycosylation, featuring a biomimetic reaction network indicative of dynamic XB activation. Benchmarking studies uncovered an improved substrate tolerance compared to thiourea-catalyzed protocols. Kinetic investigations reveal an autoinductive sigmoidal kinetic profile, supporting an in situ amplification of a XB dependent active catalytic species. Kinetic isotopic effect measurements further support quantum tunneling in the rate determining step. Furthermore, we demonstrate XB catalysis tunability via a halogen swapping strategy, facilitating 2-deoxyribosylations of D-ribals. This protocol showcases the clear emergence of XB catalysis as a versatile activation mode in noncovalent organocatalysis, and as an important addition to the catalytic toolbox of chemical glycosylations.

Halogen bonding (HB) catalysis is rapidly gaining momentum, however, cases of XB activation for challenging bonds formation are rare. Here, the authors show a robust XB catalyzed 2-deoxyglycosylation with broad scope and featuring a quantum tunneling phenomenon in the proton transfer rate determining step.