o-Cyanobenzoate: A Recyclable and Reusable Stereo-directing Group for β-O-Glycosylation via Pd(0)-catalyzed Ferrier Rearrangement

Cobalt-Catalyzed Highly α-Stereoselective Glycosylation of Glycals

Following the satisfactory catalytic performance of cobalt in the C-glycosylation of glycals, further study of cobalt's application values was performed under mild conditions, leading to a range of highly α-stereoselective 2,3-unsaturated O-, S-, and N-glycosides. The synthetic potential of the developed protocol was underscored by the late-stage functionalization of pharmaceutically relevant molecules including the canagliflozin derivative (a potential candidate for treating type 2 diabetes and alleviating pathological aging). Furthermore, control experiments were conducted to elucidate a reasonable mechanism and rule out the pathway involving the configuration conversion between α- and β-anomers.

Stereoselective Synthesis of Glycosides via Tsuji-Trost Type Glycosylation Using 3,4-Carbonate Galactals

Pd-catalyzed stereoselective glycosylations using unsaturated sugar derivatives, glycals, have been successfully achieved in recent years. This review focuses on approaches to control the stereoselectivities of glycosides via π-allyl intermediates that mimic the Tsuji-Trost asymmetric allylic alkylation reactions, enabling stereoselectivity control through rational design. In the reaction process, zwitterionic Pd-π-allyl complexes, formed after the oxidative addition and decarboxylation, play a crucial role in increasing reactivities and enhancing the stereoselectivities of α- and β-glycosides. We summarized recently developed Tsuji-Trost type glycosylations using 3,4-carbonate galactals, featuring high efficiency, exclusive stereoselectivities, and a broad reaction scope including O-, N-, S-, and C-glycosylations.

Amino-Acid-Derived Amides as Stereodirecting Leaving Groups for Ferrier Rearrangement via Pd(0)-Catalyzed Tsuji-Trost Reactions

Ferrier rearrangement on glycals is an efficient tool to form 2,3-dideoxy glycosides that provide access to various sugar derivatives through olefin functionalization. The classical acid-mediated transformation delivers the α-O-glycosides selectively. In this protocol, amides obtained from amino acids, glycine and proline, have been utilized as sustainable β-directing leaving groups on glycal substrates. The directing groups facilitate β-selective Ferrier rearrangements for hard alcohol nucleophiles by following the Pd(0)-catalyzed Tsuji-Trost inner sphere pathway.

Cyanomethyl (CNMe) ether: an orthogonal protecting group for saccharides

Logical manipulation of protecting groups is one of the vital strategies involved in the synthesis of complex oligosachharides. As opposed to the robust permanent protecting groups, the chemoselective protection-deprotection processes on orthogonal protecting groups have facilitated the synthesis of the target molecules with higher effeciency. While the derivatives of benzyl ethers are the most popular orthogonal ether based protecting groups for hydroxyls, the exploration of methyl ethers for similar synthetic application is much limited. We herein report cyanomethyl (CNMe) ether as a readily synthesized orthogonal protecting group for saccharides. The ether moiety was rapidly removed under Na-naphthalenide conditions in good to excellent yields and was found to be compatible with other well-known benzyl/methyl/silyl ether and acetal protecting groups. Additionally, the CNMe group was observed to be tolerant to standard reagents used for the deprotection of ether, ester and acetal protecting groups. The protection and deprotection steps remained unaffected by the position of hydroxyl, the configuration of monosaccharides or the presence of olefins in the skeleton.