A new synthesis of glycosides. Reactions of trifluoromethanesulfonic anhydride at the anomeric centre

Matching Glycosyl Donor Reactivity to Sulfonate Leaving Group Ability Permits SN2 Glycosylations

Here we demonstrate that highly β-selective glycosylation reactions can be achieved when the electronics of a sulfonyl chloride activator and the reactivity of a glycosyl donor hemiacetal are matched. While these reactions are compatible with the acid- and base-sensitive protecting groups that are commonly used in oligosaccharide synthesis, these protecting groups are not relied upon to control selectivity. Instead, β-selectivity arises from the stereoinversion of an α-glycosyl arylsulfonate in an S_N2-like mechanism. Our mechanistic proposal is supported by NMR studies, kinetic isotope effect (KIE) measurements, and DFT calculations.

Direct Dehydrative Glycosylation of C1-Alcohols

Due to the central role played by carbohydrates in a multitude of biological processes, there has been a sustained interest in developing effective glycosylation methods to enable more thorough investigation of their essential functions. Among the myriad technologies available for stereoselective glycoside bond formation, dehydrative glycosylation possesses a distinct advantage given the unique properties of C1-alcohols such as straightforward preparation, stability, and a general reactivity compatible with a diverse set of reaction conditions. In this Focus Review, a survey of direct dehydrative glycosylations of C1-alcohols is provided with an emphasis on recent achievements, pervading limitations, mechanistic insights, and applications in total synthesis.

Dehydrative glycosylation with cyclic phosphonium anhydrides

Cyclic phosphonium anhydrides generated from bis-phosphine oxides and trifluoromethanesulfonic anhydride are shown as general coupling reagents in a dehydrative glycosylation reaction of C1-hemiacetals. This reaction protocol is characterized by a broad substrate scope and high yields, including reactions of O-, C-, N-, and S-based nucleophiles with furanose, pyranose, and deoxysugar donors.

Expeditious oligosaccharide synthesis via selective, semi-orthogonal, and orthogonal activation

Traditional strategies for oligosaccharide synthesis often require extensive protecting and/or leaving group manipulations between each glycosylation step, thereby increasing the total number of synthetic steps while decreasing the efficiency of the synthesis. In contrast, expeditious strategies allow for the rapid chemical synthesis of complex carbohydrates by minimizing extraneous chemical manipulations. Oligosaccharide synthesis by selective activation of one leaving group over another is one such expeditious strategy. Herein, the significant improvements that have recently emerged in the area of the selective activation are discussed. The development of orthogonal strategy further expands the scope of the selective activation methodology. Surveyed in this article, are representative examples wherein these excellent innovations have been applied to the synthesis of various oligosaccharide sequences.

Electrochemical generation of glycosyl triflate pools

Glycosyl triflates, which serve as important intermediates in glycosylation reactions, were generated and accumulated by the low-temperature electrochemical oxidation of thioglycosides such as thioglucosides, thiogalactosides, and thiomannosides in the presence of tetrabutylammonium triflate (Bu(4)NOTf) as a supporting electrolyte. Thus-obtained solutions of glycosyl triflates (glycosyl triflate pools) were characterized by low-temperature NMR measurements. The thermal stability of glycosyl triflates and their reactions with glycosyl acceptors were also examined.