Mirror-image carbohydrates: synthesis of the unnatural enantiomer of a blood group trisaccharide

An Unexpected Lewis Acid-Catalyzed Cascade during the Synthesis of the DEF-Benzoxocin Ring System of Nogalamycin and Menogaril: Mechanistic Elucidation by Intermediate Trapping Experiments and Density Functional Theory Studies

An unexpected Lewis acid-catalyzed carbohydrate rearrangement of a 1,5-bis-glycopyranoside to the product of a formal intramolecular C-aryl glycosylation reaction is reported. Mechanistic studies based mainly on intermediate trapping experiments and density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal a cascade process involving three transient (a)cyclic oxocarbenium cations, the breaking of three single C(sp3)-O bonds, and the formation of three single bonds (i.e., exo-, endo-, and C-glycosidic bonds), leading to the 2,6-epoxybenzoxocine skeleton of bioactive natural glycoconjugates related to serjanione A and mimocaesalpin E. DFT calculations established that the generation of the pyran moiety embedded in the bridged benzoxocin ring system is likely to proceed through an unusual ring-closure of an ortho-quinone methide intermediate in which the attacking nucleophile is a carbonyl oxygen.

Synthesis of the Three Most Expensive l-Hexose Thioglycosides from d-Glucose

The biologically important l-hexoses, which are less widespread than d-hexoses, cannot be obtained from natural sources or can only be extracted very costly. Due to the complexity of their synthesis, their commercially available derivatives (which are sold mostly in free form) are also very expensive, which is further exacerbated by the current rapid rise in prices. In the present work, starting from the cheapest d-hexose, d-glucose, using inexpensive and readily available chemicals, a reaction pathway was developed in which the three most expensive l-hexoses (l-idose, l-altrose, and l-talose) were successfully prepared in orthogonally protected thioglycoside form, ready for glycosylation. The l-ido and l-talo derivatives were synthesized by C-5 epimerization of the corresponding 5,6-unsaturated thioglycosides. From the l-ido derivatives, the orthogonally protected thioglycosides of l-altrose were then prepared by C-4 epimerization. Different approaches to the preparation of the key intermediates, 5,6-unsaturated thioglycoside derivatives, were systematically investigated in the presence of various protecting groups (ether and ester) and using commercially available reagents.

Synthesis of Four Orthogonally Protected Rare l-Hexose Thioglycosides from d-Mannose by C-5 and C-4 Epimerization

l-Hexoses are important components of biologically relevant compounds and precursors of some therapeuticals. However, they typically cannot be obtained from natural sources and due to the complexity of their synthesis, their commercially available derivatives are also very expensive. Starting from one of the cheapest d-hexoses, d-mannose, using inexpensive and readily available chemicals, we developed a reaction pathway to obtain two orthogonally protected l-hexose thioglycoside derivatives, l-gulose and l-galactose, through the corresponding 5,6-unsaturated thioglycosides by C-5 epimerization. From these derivatives, the orthogonally protected thioglycosides of further two l-hexoses (l-allose and l-glucose) were synthesized by C-4 epimerization. The preparation of the key intermediates, the 5,6-unsaturated derivatives, was systematically studied using various protecting groups. By the method developed, we are able to produce highly functionalized l-gulose derivatives in 9 steps (total yields: 21-23%) and l-galactose derivatives in 12 steps (total yields: 6-8%) starting from d-mannose.

Surfactant-mediated thioglycosylation of 1-hydroxy sugars in water

Thioglycosides are an important class of sugars, since they can be used as non-ionic biosurfactants, biomimetic glycosides, and building blocks for carbohydrate synthesis. Previously, Brønsted- or Lewis-acid-catalyzed dehydrative glycosylations between a 1-hydroxy sugar and a thiol have been reported to yield open-chain dithioacetal sugars as the major products instead of the desired thioglycosides. These dithioacetal sugars are by-products derived from the endocyclic bond cleavage of the thioglycosides. Herein, we report dehydrative glycosylation in water mediated by a Brønsted acid-surfactant combined catalyst (BASC). Glycosylations between 1-hydroxy furanosyl/pyranosyl sugars and primary, secondary, and tertiary aliphatic/aromatic thiols in the presence of dodecyl benzenesulfonic acid (DBSA) provided the thioglycoside products in moderate to good yields. Microwave irradiation led to improvements in the yields and a shortening of the reaction time. Remarkably, open-chain dithioacetal sugars were not detected in the DBSA-mediated glycosylations in water. This method is a simple, convenient, and rapid approach to produce a library of thioglycosides without the requirement of anhydrous conditions. Moreover, this work also provides an excellent example of complementary reactivity profiles of glycosylation in organic solvents and water.

Enantiomers of Carbohydrates and Their Role in Ecosystem Interactions: A Review

D- and most L-enantiomers of carbohydrates and carbohydrate-containing compounds occur naturally in plants and other organisms. These enantiomers play many important roles in plants including building up biomass, defense against pathogens, herbivory, abiotic stress, and plant nutrition. Carbohydrate enantiomers are also precursors of many plant compounds that significantly contribute to plant aroma. Microorganisms, insects, and other animals utilize both types of carbohydrate enantiomers, but their biomass and excrements are dominated by D-enantiomers. The aim of this work was to review the current knowledge about carbohydrate enantiomers in ecosystems with respect to both their metabolism in plants and occurrence in soils, and to identify critical knowledge gaps and directions for future research. Knowledge about the significance of D- versus L-enantiomers of carbohydrates in soils is rare. Determining the mechanism of genetic regulation of D- and L-carbohydrate metabolism in plants with respect to pathogen and pest control and ecosystem interactions represent the knowledge gaps and a direction for future research.

Radical Dehydroxymethylative Fluorination of Carbohydrates and Divergent Transformations of the Resulting Reverse Glycosyl Fluorides

A mild and convenient method for the synthesis of reverse glycosyl fluorides (RGFs) has been developed that is based on the silver-promoted radical dehydroxymethylative fluorination of carbohydrates. A salient feature of the reaction is that furanoid and pyranoid carbohydrates furnish structurally diverse RGFs bearing a wide variety of functional groups in good to excellent yields. Intramolecular hydrogen atom transfer experiments revealed that the reaction involves an underexploited radical fluorination that proceeds via β-fragmentation of sugar-derived primary alkoxyl radicals. Structurally divergent RGFs were obtained by catalytic C-F bond activation, and our method thus offers a concise and efficient strategy for the synthesis of reverse glycosides by late-stage diversification of RGFs. The potential of this method is showcased by the preparation and diversification of sotagliflozin, leading to the discovery of a promising SGLT2 inhibitor candidate.

Synthesis and reactivity of 4'-deoxypentenosyl disaccharides

4-Deoxypentenosides (4-DPs) are versatile synthons for rare or higher-order pyranosides, and they provide an entry for structural diversification at the C5 position. Previous studies have shown that 4-DPs undergo stereocontrolled DMDO oxidation; subsequent epoxide ring-openings with various nucleophiles can proceed with both anti or syn selectivity. Here, we report the synthesis of α- and β-linked 4'-deoxypentenosyl (4'-DP) disaccharides, and we investigate their post-glycosylational C5' additions using the DMDO oxidation/ring-opening sequence. The α-linked 4'-DP disaccharides were synthesized by coupling thiophenyl 4-DP donors with glycosyl acceptors using BSP/Tf2O activation, whereas β-linked 4'-DP disaccharides were generated by the decarboxylative elimination of glucuronyl disaccharides under microwave conditions. Both α- and β-linked 4'-DP disaccharides could be epoxidized with high stereoselectivity using DMDO. In some cases, the α-epoxypentenosides could be successfully converted into terminal l-iduronic acids via the syn addition of 2-furylzinc bromide. These studies support a novel approach to oligosaccharide synthesis, in which the stereochemical configuration of the terminal 4'-DP unit is established at a post-glycosylative stage.

Stereoelectronic factors in the stereoselective epoxidation of glycals and 4-deoxypentenosides

Glycals and 4-deoxypentenosides (4-DPs), unsaturated pyranosides with similar structures and reactivity profiles, can exhibit a high degree of stereoselectivity upon epoxidation with dimethyldioxirane (DMDO). In most cases, the glycals and their corresponding 4-DP isosteres share the same facioselectivity, implying that the pyran substituents are largely responsible for the stereodirecting effect. Fully substituted dihydropyrans are subject to a "majority rule", in which the epoxidation is directed toward the face opposite to two of the three groups. Removing one of the substituents has a variable effect on the epoxidation outcome, depending on its position and also on the relative stereochemistry of the remaining two groups. Overall, we observe that the greatest loss in facioselectivity for glycals and 4-DPs is caused by removal of the C3 oxygen, followed by the C5/anomeric substituent, and least of all by the C4/C2 oxygen. DFT calculations based on polarized-π frontier molecular orbital (PPFMO) theory support a stereoelectronic role for the oxygen substituents in 4-DP facioselectivity, but less clearly so in the case of glycals. We conclude that the anomeric oxygen in 4-DPs contributes toward a stereoelectronic bias in facioselectivity whereas the C5 alkoxymethyl in glycals imparts a steric bias, which at times can compete with the stereodirecting effects from the other oxygen substituents.

Thioglycosylation of 1,2-cis-glycosyl acetates: a long-standing overlooked issue in preparative carbohydrate chemistry

1,2-cis-Glycosyl acetates with the α-configuration were revealed to be very unreactive towards Lewis acid catalyzed thioglycosylations. Optimal and cost-effective conditions for enabling this direct conversion is absent in the literature. Our studies have shown that elevating the reaction temperature with a catalytic amount of BF(3)·OEt(2) was more effective than changing Lewis acids with higher acidities to accommodate the low reactivity of α-glycosyl acetates. The effect of impurities in stored BF(3)·OEt(2) on the reaction is also discussed.

Probing osmotic effects on invertase with L-(-)-sucrose

L-(-)-sucrose was efficiently synthesized using intramolecular aglycon delivery and used to elucidate osmotic effects on the activity of invertase, which catalyzes the hydrolysis of D-(+)-sucrose. The osmotic effect imposed by L-sucrose was responsible for more than 30% of the activity loss ascribed otherwise to "substrate inhibition."

syn additions to 4alpha-epoxypyranosides: synthesis of L-idopyranosides

The syn-selective addition of organozinc compounds to 4alpha-epoxypyranosides (4alpha-EPs), generated from methyl beta-D-glucoside or aminoglucoside, provides an efficient route to pyranosides with alpha-L-ido configurations, including L-iduronic acid, neosamine B, and higher monosaccharide derivatives.

Stereoselective epoxidation of 4-deoxypentenosides: a polarized-pi model

The high facioselectivity in the epoxidation of 4-deoxypentenosides (4-DPs) by dimethyldioxirane (DMDO) correlates with a stereoelectronic bias in the 4-DPs' ground-state conformations, as elucidated by polarized-pi frontier molecular orbital (PPFMO) analysis.

Synthesis of an A-E gambieric acid subunit with use of a C-glycoside centered strategy

This paper describes our synthesis of the A-E subunit of gambieric acid (GA) in addition to the synthesis of the A-ring and the C-E tricycle. The use of an enol ether-olefin RCM strategy to couple the A and C-E subunits and, in the process, generate the B-ring is noteworthy.

Cryoprotection with L- and meso-trehalose: stereochemical implications

Two unnatural stereoisomers of alpha,alpha-trehalose (L- and meso-trehalose) were synthesized and evaluated as cryoprotectants in order to determine the functional consequences of relative or absolute stereochemistry on their physicochemical properties. Adherent yeast cell cultures were frozen in 10% solutions of D-, L-, and meso-trehalose for periods of 7-28 days, then evaluated by a MTT viability assay. D- and L-trehalose were equally effective in maintaining high rates of cell survival, thus demonstrating the absence of chiral discrimination at the carbohydrate-lipid interface, whereas meso-trehalose was inferior in cryoprotection efficacy. Differential scanning calorimetry revealed a difference in the glass transition temperatures (Tg) of D- and meso-trehalose of nearly 75 degrees C. This can be attributed to differences in conformational behavior, as portrayed by torsional energy maps for rotation about the glycosidic bonds of D- and meso-trehalose. We conclude that the biostabilizing properties of alpha,alpha-trehalose depend on relative stereochemical factors, but are independent of absolute stereochemical configuration.

Highly Diastereoselective Thioglycosylation of Functionalized Peracetylated Glycosides Catalyzed by MoO2Cl2

Among 18 oxometallic species, MoO2Cl2 was found to be the most reactive in catalytic thioglycosylation of O-acetylated glycosides with functionalized thiols in CH2Cl2, leading cleanly to 1,2-trans-thioglycosides with exclusive diastereocontrol. The new catalytic protocol is applicable to a monoglycoside building block and beta-(1-->6)-S-linked-thiodisaccharide synthesis. [reaction: see text].

Divergent Synthesis ofL-Sugars andL-Iminosugars fromD-Sugars

An efficient divergent synthesis of L-sugars and L-iminosugars from D-sugars is described. The important intermediate, delta-hydroxyalkoxamate, prepared from D-glucono-/galactono-1,5-lactone, was cyclized under Mitsunobu conditions to give the O-cyclized oxime compound and the N-cyclized lactam compound as mixtures. A more detailed investigation revealed that the appropriate protecting groups and solvents controlled the specificity for the O-/N-cyclization of the delta-hydroxyalkoxamate. Suitable protection at the 6-position of delta-hydroxyalkoxamate, derived from D-glucono-1,5-lactone, afforded the corresponding O-alkylation product alone. Thus we succeeded in applying this to the total synthesis of L-iduronic acid. In contrast, with both TBDMS as the protecting group and RCN as the solvent the efficient conversion of D-glucono/galactono-1,5-lactone into the corresponding L-iminosugars (L-idonolactam and L-altronolactam) was achieved.