Synthesis of cyclohexakis- and cycloheptakis-(1-->4)-(7-amino-6,7- dideoxy-alpha-D-gluco-heptopyranosyl), homoanalogues of 6-amino-6-deoxy-cyclomaltooligosaccharides

Synthesis of 6,7-dideoxy-7-isothiocyanatoheptoses: stable fully unprotected monosaccharide isothiocyanates

Methyl 6,7-dideoxy-7-isothiocyanato-alpha-D-gluco (manno)(galacto)-heptopyranosides have been synthesized in four steps by homologation of the respective methyl hexopyranosides via the corresponding heptopyranosydurononitriles. Neither intra- nor intermolecular thiocarbamate formation was observed, even under rather strenuous acidic or basic conditions. The reducing derivative 6,7-dideoxy-7-isothiocyanato-alpha-D-gluco-heptopyranose was also a stable compound in aqueous solution in the absence of base. Formation of a six-membered intramolecular cyclic thiocarbamate was achieved in DMF solution in the presence of triethylamine. The title compounds are the first examples of stable fully unprotected monosaccharide isothiocyanates.

Versatile Functionalization of Carbohydrate Hydroxyl Groups through Their O-Cyanomethyl Ethers

O-Cyanomethyl ethers of carbohydrates are shown to be versatile intermediates for the preparation of sugar amines, carboxylic acids, amides, and amidine salts. This methodology for the functionalization of carbohydrates can thus provide a new array of analogs for the study of carbohydrate binding proteins. In addition, the resulting O-aminoethyl and O-carboxymethyl carbohydrates can be coupled to amino acids under standard conditions used in solid-phase peptide synthesis, providing a method for the construction of glycopeptides in which the carbohydrate moiety can be linked through any of its hydroxyl groups to the C- or the N-terminus of a given peptide.