The Stabilization of Glycosyl Cations Through Cooperative Noncovalent Interactions: A Theoretical Perspective

Glycosyl Oxocarbenium Ions: Structure, Conformation, Reactivity, and Interactions

Carbohydrates (glycans, saccharides, and sugars) are essential molecules in all domains of life. Research on glycoscience spans from chemistry to biomedicine, including material science and biotechnology. Access to pure and well-defined complex glycans using synthetic methods depends on the success of the employed glycosylation reaction. In most cases, the mechanism of the glycosylation reaction is believed to involve the oxocarbenium ion. Understanding the structure, conformation, reactivity, and interactions of this glycosyl cation is essential to predict the outcome of the reaction. In this Account, building on our contributions on this topic, we discuss the theoretical and experimental approaches that have been employed to decipher the key features of glycosyl cations, from their structures to their interactions and reactivity.We also highlight that, from a chemical perspective, the glycosylation reaction can be described as a continuum, from unimolecular SN1 with naked oxocarbenium cations as intermediates to bimolecular SN2-type mechanisms, which involve the key role of counterions and donors. All these factors should be considered and are discussed herein. The importance of dissociative mechanisms (involving contact ion pairs, solvent-separated ion pairs, solvent-equilibrated ion pairs) with bimolecular features in most reactions is also highlighted.The role of theoretical calculations to predict the conformation, dynamics, and reactivity of the oxocarbenium ion is also discussed, highlighting the advances in this field that now allow access to the conformational preferences of a variety of oxocarbenium ions and their reactivities under SN1-like conditions.Specifically, the ground-breaking use of superacids to generate these cations is emphasized, since it has permitted characterization of the structure and conformation of a variety of glycosyl oxocarbenium ions in superacid solution by NMR spectroscopy.We also pay special attention to the reactivity of these glycosyl ions, which depends on the conditions, including the counterions, the possible intra- or intermolecular participation of functional groups that may stabilize the cation and the chemical nature of the acceptor, either weak or strong nucleophile. We discuss recent investigations from different experimental perspectives, which identified the involved ionic intermediates, estimating their lifetimes and reactivities and studying their interactions with other molecules. In this context, we also emphasize the relationship between the chemical methods that can be employed to modulate the sensitivity of glycosyl cations and the way in which glycosyl modifying enzymes (glycosyl hydrolases and transferases) build and cleave glycosidic linkages in nature. This comparison provides inspiration on the use of molecules that regulate the stability and reactivity of glycosyl cations.

Experimental and theoretical study of the role of CH/π interactions in the aminolysis reaction of acetyl galactoside

Molecular recognition of saccharides is a growing field, which has many implications in cancer therapy, drug discovery, and cellular communication among others. The participation of CH/π interactions in this event is well known. Nevertheless, the intrinsic role of CH/π for modulating chemical reactions is still far from being applicable. In this experimental and computational work we have evaluated the participation of CH/π interactions in the aminolysis reaction of acetyl galactoside promoted with different 6-substituted 2(1H)-pyridones. Two features have been incorporated to the promoter molecular structure, on one end the promoting pyridone group and on the other end the recognition moiety, joined together by an alkyne spacer. The small increment in the observed pseudo-first-order rate constant values (k_obs) was related to the stability of the transition state provided by noncovalent interactions, including CH/π interactions. A longer alkyne spacer was necessary to improve the molecular recognition of the galactoside substrate. The trend of the calculated activation energy values (ΔE_RTS) was in good accordance with the experimental rate constant values.