Stereocontrolled Formation of β-Glucosides and Related Linkages in the Absence of Neighboring Group Participation: Influence of a trans-Fused 2,3-O-Carbonate Group

Organoselenium Compounds: Chemistry and Applications in Organic Synthesis

Selenium, originally described as a toxin, turns out to be a crucial trace element for life that appears as selenocysteine and its dimer, selenocystine. From the point of view of drug developments, selenium-containing drugs are isosteres of sulfur and oxygen with the advantage that the presence of the selenium atom confers antioxidant properties and high lipophilicity, which would increase cell membrane permeation leading to better oral bioavailability. In this article, we have focused on the relevant features of the selenium atom, above all, the corresponding synthetic approaches to access a variety of organoselenium molecules along with the proposed reaction mechanisms. The preparation and biological properties of selenosugars, including selenoglycosides, selenonucleosides, selenopeptides, and other selenium-containing compounds will be treated. We have attempted to condense the most important aspects and interesting examples of the chemistry of selenium into a single article.

Synthetic Carbohydrate Chemistry and Translational Medicine

The importance of post-translational glycosylation in protein structure and function has gained significant clinical relevance recently. The latest developments in glycobiology, glycochemistry, and glycoproteomics have made the field more manageable and relevant to disease progression and immune-response signaling. Here, we summarize the current progress in glycoscience, including the new methodologies that have led to the introduction of programmable and automatic as well as large-scale enzymatic synthesis, and the development of glycan array, glycosylation probes, and inhibitors of carbohydrate-associated enzymes or receptors. These novel methodologies and tools have facilitated our understanding of the significance of glycosylation and development of carbohydrate-derived medicines that bring the field to the next level of scientific and medical significance.

Stereoselective Synthesis of Diglycosyl Diacylglycerols with Glycosyl Donors Bearing a β-Stereodirecting 2,3-Naphthalenedimethyl Protecting Group

Diglycosyl diacylglycerols (DGDGs) are major components of Gram-positive bacterial plasma membranes and are involved in the immune response systems. The chemical synthesis of DGDGs has been highly demanded, as it will allow the elucidation of their biological functions at the molecular level. In this study, we have developed a novel β-stereodirecting 2,3-naphthalenedimethyl (NapDM) protecting group that is orthogonal to protecting groups commonly used in oligosaccharide synthesis. The NapDM group can be easily cleaved under TFA-mediated acidic conditions. Futhermore, we demonstrated the application of this protecting group to an acyl protecting-group-free strategy by utilizing the NapDM group for the synthesis of DGDGs. This strategy features the use of the β-stereodirecting NapDM group as an acid-cleavable permanent protecting group and late-stage glycosylation of monoglycosyl diacylglycerol acceptors, enabling the stereoselective synthesis of three different bacterial DGDGs with unsaturated fatty acid chain(s).

Stereoselective Phenylselenoglycosylation of Glycals Bearing a Fused Carbonate Moiety toward the Synthesis of 2-Deoxy-β-galactosides and β-Mannosides

A phenylselenoglycosylation reaction of glycal derivatives mediated by diphenyl diselenide and phenyliodine(III) bis(trifluoroacetate) under mild conditions is described. Stereoselective glycosylation has been achieved by installing fused carbonate on those glycals. 3,4-O-Carbonate galactals and 2,3-O-carbonate 2-hydroxyglucals are converted into corresponding glycosides in good yields with excellent β-selectivity, resulting in 2-phenylseleno-2-deoxy-β-galactosides and 2-phenylseleno-β-mannosides which are good precursors of 2-deoxy-β-galactosides and β-mannosides, respectively.

Synthesis of β-Glucosides with 3-O-Picoloyl-Protected Glycosyl Donors in the Presence of Excess Triflic Acid: Defining the Scope

Excellent β-stereoselectivity for the glycosylation with glucosyl donors equipped with the 3-O-picoloyl (Pico) group, without the use of participating group, was achieved in the presence of NIS/excess TfOH promoter system. A complete investigation of the scope of this reaction was performed, revealing all important attributes of successful glycosylation. While altering the halogen source was tolerated, substitution of the triflate anion resulted in complete loss of stereoselectivity. Protonation of the Pico group was determined to be crucial in this reaction. The stability or extent of the protonated pyridine ring was also found to be another important key factor in obtaining high stereoselectivity. The nucleophilicity of the acceptor was found to be proportional to the stereoselectivity obtained, suggesting an S_N 2-like mechanism.

Synthesis of β-Glucosides with 3-O-Picoloyl-Protected Glycosyl Donors in the Presence of Excess Triflic Acid: A Mechanistic Study

Our previous study showed that picoloylated donors are capable of providing excellent facial stereoselectivity through the H-bond-mediated aglycone delivery (HAD) pathway. Presented herein is a detailed mechanistic study of stereoselective glycosylation with 3-O-picoloylated glucosyl donors. While reactions of glycosyl donors equipped with the 3-O-benzoyl group are typically non-stereoselective because these reactions proceed via the oxacarbenium intermediate, 3-O-picoloylated donors are capable of providing enhanced, but somewhat relaxed, β-stereoselectivity by the HAD pathway. In an attempt to refine this reaction, we noticed that glycosylations are highly β-stereoselective in the presence of NIS and stoichiometric TfOH. The HAD pathway is highly unlikely because the picoloyl nitrogen is protonated under these reaction conditions. The protonation and glycosylation were studied by low-temperature NMR, and the intermediacy of the glycosyl triflate has been observed. This article is dedicated to broadening the scope of this reaction in application to a variety of substrates and targets.

Automated Chemical Oligosaccharide Synthesis: Novel Approach to Traditional Challenges

Advances in carbohydrate chemistry have certainly made common oligosaccharides much more accessible. However, many current methods still rely heavily upon specialized knowledge of carbohydrate chemistry. The application of automated technologies to chemical and life science applications such as genomics and proteomics represents a vibrant field. These automated technologies also present opportunities for their application to organic synthesis, including that of the synthesis of oligosaccharides. However, application of automated methods to the synthesis of carbohydrates is an underdeveloped area as compared to other classes of biomolecules. The overarching goal of this review article is to present the advances that have been made at the interface of carbohydrate chemistry and automated technology.

Pre-activation Based Stereoselective Glycosylations

Due to the wide presence of carbohydrates in nature and their crucial roles in numerous important biological processes, oligosaccharides have attracted a lot of attention in synthetic organic chemistry community. Many innovative synthetic methods have been developed for oligosaccharide synthesis, among which the pre-activation based glycosylation is particularly noteworthy. Traditionally, glycosylation reactions are carried out when the glycosyl donor and the acceptor are both present when the promoter is added. In comparison, the pre-activation based glycosylation is unique, where the glycosyl donor is activated by the promoter in the absence of the acceptor. Upon complete donor activation, the acceptor is added to the reaction mixture enabling glycosylation. The key step in any oligosaccharide synthesis is the stereoselective formation of the glycosidic bond. As donor activation and acceptor glycosylation are temporally separated, pre-activation based glycosylation can bestow unique stereochemical control. This review systematically discusses factors impacting the stereochemical outcome of a pre-activation based glycosylation reaction including substituents on the glycosyl donor, reaction solvent, and additives. Applications of pre-activation based stereoselective glycosylation in assembly of complex oligosaccharides are also discussed.

Stereocontrolled 1,2-cis glycosylation as the driving force of progress in synthetic carbohydrate chemistry

Recent developments in stereoselective 1,2-cis glycosylation that have emerged during the past decade are surveyed herein.

Recent developments in stereoselective 1,2-cis glycosylation that have emerged during the past decade are surveyed herein. For detailed coverage of the previous achievements in the field the reader is referred to our earlier reviews: A. V. Demchenko, Curr. Org. Chem. , 2003, 7 , 35–79 and Synlett , 2003, 1225–1240.

Lewis acids as α-directing additives in glycosylations by using 2,3-O-carbonate-protected glucose and galactose thioglycoside donors based on preactivation protocol

Catalytic or stoichiometric amounts of Lewis acids were found to be very effective α-directing additives in the stereoselective glycosylations of diverse 2,3-O-carbonate-protected glucose and galactose thioglycoside donors by preactivation protocol. The poor stereoselectivities of 4,6-di-O-acetyl-2,3-O-carbonate protected thioglycoside donors in glycosyl coupling reactions were greatly improved, and excellent α-stereoselectivities were achieved by the addition of 0.2 equiv of BF(3)·OEt(2). On the other hand, the β-selectivities of 4,6-di-O-benzyl-2,3-O-carbonate-protected thioglucoside donor toward glycosylations were reversed completely to the α-selectivities by the use of 1 equiv of SnCl(4), making the stereoselectivity controllable. Furthermore, the poor stereoselectivities of 4,6-di-O-benzyl-2,3-O-carbonate-protected thiogalactoside donor in glycosylations were also improved by using SnCl(4) as additive.

Methodology development and physical organic chemistry: a powerful combination for the advancement of glycochemistry

This Perspective outlines work in the Crich group on the diastereoselective synthesis of the so-called difficult classes of glycosidic bond: the 2-deoxy-β-glycopyranosides, the β-mannopyranosides, the α-sialosides, the α-glucopyranosides, and the β-arabinofuranosides with an emphasis on the critical interplay between mechanism and methodology development.

Protecting groups in carbohydrate chemistry: influence on stereoselectivity of glycosylations

Saccharides are polyhydroxy compounds, and their synthesis requires complex protecting group manipulations. Protecting groups are usually used to temporarily mask a functional group which may interfere with a certain reaction, but protecting groups in carbohydrate chemistry do more than protecting groups usually do. Particularly, protecting groups can participate in reactions directly or indirectly, thus affecting the stereochemical outcomes, which is important for synthesis of oligosaccharides. Herein we present an overview of recent advances in protecting groups influencing stereoselectivity in glycosylation reactions, including participating protecting groups, and conformation-constraining protecting groups in general.

Mechanism of a chemical glycosylation reaction

Glycosylation is arguably the most important reaction in the field of glycochemistry, yet it involves one of the most empirically interpreted mechanisms in the science of organic chemistry. The beta-mannopyranosides, long considered one of the more difficult classes of glycosidic bond to prepare, were no exception to this rule. A number of logical but circuitous routes for their preparation were described in the literature, but they were accompanied by an even greater number of mostly ineffective recipes with which to access them directly. This situation changed in 1996 with the discovery of the 4,6-O-benzylidene acetal as a control element permitting direct entry into the beta-mannopyranosides, typically with high yield and selectivity. The unexpected nature of this phenomenon demanded study of the mechanism, leading first to the demonstration of the alpha-mannopyranosyl triflates as reaction intermediates and then to the development of alpha-deuterium kinetic isotope effect methods to probe their transformation into the product glycosides. In this Account, we assemble our observations into a comprehensive assessment consistent with a single mechanistic scheme. The realization that in the glucopyranose series the 4,6-O-benzylidene acetal is alpha- rather than beta-directing led to further investigations of substituent effects on the stereoselectivity of these glycosylation reactions, culminating in their explanation in terms of the covalent alpha-glycosyl triflates acting as a reservoir for a series of transient contact and solvent-separated ion pairs. The function of the benzylidene acetal, as explained by Bols and co-workers, is to lock the C6-O6 bond antiperiplanar to the C5-O5 bond, thereby maximizing its electron-withdrawing effect, destabilizing the glycosyl oxocarbenium ion, and shifting the equilibria as far as possible toward the covalent triflate. beta-Selective reactions result from attack of the nucleophile on the transient contact ion pair in which the alpha-face of the oxocarbenium ion is shielded by the triflate counterion. The alpha-products arise from attack either on the solvent-separated ion pair or on a free oxocarbenium ion, according to the dictates of the anomeric effect. Changes in selectivity from varying stereochemistry (glucose versus mannose) or from using different protecting groups can be explained by the shifting position of the key equilibria and, in particular, by the energy differences between the covalent triflate and the ion pairs. Of particular note is the importance of substitutents at the 3-position of the donor; an explanation is proposed that invokes their evolving torsional interaction with the substituent at C2 as the chair form of the covalent triflate moves toward the half-chair of the oxocarbenium ion.

Evidence for endocyclic cleavage of conformationally restricted glycopyranosides

2,3-trans-Carbamate- and -carbonate-carrying pyranosides were very easily anomerised from the beta to the alpha direction in the presence of a Lewis acid compared to other pyranosides. This reaction is caused by endocyclic cleavage of the pyranosides. Evidence for endocyclic cleavage of conformationally restricted pyranosides in the chair form was obtained by intra- and intermolecular Friedel-Crafts reactions, chloride addition, and reduction of the generated cation. On the other hand, pyranosides with the distorted conformation were never cleaved in an endocyclic manner.

Palladium-controlled beta-selective glycosylation in the absence of the C(2)-ester participatory group

The development of a new glycosylation method for the stereoselective synthesis of beta-glycosides in the absence of the traditional C(2)-ester neighboring group effect is described. This process relies on the ability of the cationic palladium catalyst, Pd(PhCN)(2)(OTf)(2) generated in situ from Pd(PhCN)(2)Cl(2) and AgOTf, to direct beta-selectivity. The new glycosylation reaction is highly beta-selective and proceeds under mild conditions with 1-2 mol % of catalyst loading. This beta-glycosylation method has been applied to a number of glucose donors with benzyl, allyl, and p-methoxybenzyl groups incorporated at the C(2)-position as well as tribenzylated xylose and quinovose donors to prepare various disaccharides and trisaccharides with good to excellent beta-selectivity. Mechanistic studies suggest that the major operative pathway is likely to proceed via a seven-membered ring intermediate, wherein the cationic palladium complex coordinates to both the C(1)-imidate nitrogen and C(2)-oxygen of the trichloroacetimidate donor. Formation of this seven-membered ring intermediate directs the selectivity, leading to the formation of beta-glycosides.

How the arming participating moieties can broaden the scope of chemoselective oligosaccharide synthesis by allowing the inverse armed-disarmed approach

A new method for stereocontrolled glycosylation and chemoselective oligosaccharide synthesis has been developed. It has been determined that complete 1,2-trans selectivity can be achieved with the use of a 2-O-picolyl moiety, a novel neighboring group that is capable of efficient participation via a six-membered intermediate. The application of the picolyl concept to glycosidations of thioimidoyl, thioglycosyl, and trichloroacetimidoyl glycosyl donors is demonstrated. The picolyl moiety also retains the glycosyl donor in the armed state, as opposed to conventional acyl participating moieties. We name this new approach the "inverse armed-disarmed" strategy, because it allows for the chemoselective introduction of a 1,2-trans glycosidic linkage prior to other linkages. In the context of the oligosaccharide synthesis, the strategy provides trans-trans and trans-cis patterned oligosaccharides as opposed to classic Fraser-Reid's armed-disarmed approach leading to cis-trans and cis-cis linkages.

Imposing the trans/gauche conformation on a sialic acid donor with a 5-N,7-O-oxazinanone group: effect on glycosylation stereoselectivity

A 5-N,7-O-oxazinanone derivative of a thiosialic acid ester has been synthesized and investigated for the effect of conformational restriction on glycosylation. The cyclic group is found to be powerfully disarming, but to have no beneficial effect on reaction stereoselectivity.

β-Selective Glucosylation in the Absence of Neighboring Group Participation: Influence of the 3,4-O-Bisacetal Protecting System

A 3,4-O-bisacetal 2,6-di-O-benzyl protected thioglucoside is converted to the corresponding glucosyl triflate with 1-benzenesulfinyl piperidine and trifluoromethanesulfonic anhydride. The moderate to excellent β-selectivity exhibited with this glucosyl triflate with a range of alcohols is generally higher than that observed with the more electronically disarmed corresponding 3,4-O-carbonate, for which a possible reason is advanced.

O-sialylation with N-acetyl-5-n,4-o-carbonyl-protected thiosialoside donors in dichloromethane: facile and selective cleavage of the oxazolidinone ring

An N-acetyl-5-N,4-O-carbonyl-protected thiosialoside donor, the structure of which has been defined through X-ray crystallography, was prepared and tested in couplings to a wide range of acceptors. This donor gives excellent yields and alpha-selectivities in linking with various primary alkyl and carbohydrate acceptors under the N-iodosuccinimide and trifluoromethanesulfonic acid in situ activation method at -40 degrees C in dichloromethane. The favorable affect of the oxazolidinone substructure for alpha-sialylation is illustrated by a comparison study with a N,N-diacetylsialyl donor, which exhibited inferior yields and alpha-selectivities. The sialylation selectivity is independent of the anomeric configuration of the donor, but is highly related to the reaction temperature under the NIS/TfOH activation method. In contrast to the NIS/TfOH method, the Ph2SO/Tf2O promotion gives beta-selective couplings in dichloromethane. The oxazolidinone of the N-acetyl-5-N,4-O-carbonyl protected sialosides, both alpha- and beta-anomers, could be cleaved cleanly by treatment with sodium methoxide under mild conditions without removal of the acetamide.

The use of cyclic bifunctional protecting groups in oligosaccharide synthesis—an overview

A historical overview is presented on stereo-directing effects of cis- and trans-fused diol protective groups used on both donor and acceptor glycosides. Attention is focused on the use of cyclic carbonates and carbamates, diacetals and acetals and finally the special case of 1,2-O-orthoesters and 1,2-O-cyanoalkylidene functionalised residues.

On the influence of the C2-O2 and C3-O3 bonds in 4,6-O-benzylidene-directed beta-mannopyranosylation and alpha-glucopyranosylation

The synthesis of 4,6-O-benzylidene-protected 2-deoxyarabino-, 3-deoxyarabino-, and 3-deoxyribothioglycosides is described and their glycosylation reactions, with activation by either 1-benzenesulfinyl piperidine/trifluoromethansulfonic anhydride or diphenyl sulfoxide/trifluoromethanesulfonic anhydride, studied. In contrast to the corresponding 4,6-O-benzylidene-protected glucosyl and mannosyl donors, which are alpha- and beta-selective, respectively, poor diastereoselectivity is observed in all cases. The reasons for this poor selectivity are discussed in terms of the interaction between the C2-O2 and C3-O3 bonds in the glucosyl and mannosyl donors and of the influence of this interaction on the ease of formation of the intermediate glycosyl oxacarbenium ions.

1-naphthylpropargyl ether group: a readily cleaved and sterically minimal protecting system for stereoselective glycosylation

[reaction: see text] The (1-naphthyl)propargyl group is introduced as a sterically unobtrusive alcohol protecting group that is cleaved in a single step by exposure to dichlorodicyanoquinone in wet dichloromethane. In conjunction with the 4,6-O-benzylidene protecting group, and the use of the sulfoxide glycosylation method, 3-O-naphthylpropargyl-protected mannosyl donors are extremely beta-selective.

Enhanced diastereoselectivity in beta-mannopyranosylation through the use of sterically minimal propargyl ether protecting groups

[reaction: see text] 2-O-Propargyl ethers are shown to be advantageous in the 4,6-O-benzylidene acetal directed beta-mannosylation reaction. The effect is most pronounced when the O3 protecting group is a bulky silyl ether or a glycosidic bond; however, even with a 3-O-benzyl ether, the use of a 2-O-propargyl ether results in a significant increase in diastereoselectivity. The beneficial effect of the propargyl ether is thought to be a combination of its minimal steric bulk, as determined by a measurement of the steric A-value and of its moderately disarming nature, as reflected in the pKa of propargyl alcohol. Conversely, the application of a 3-O-propargyl ether in the benzylidene acetal directed mannosylation has a detrimental effect on stereoselectivity, for which no explanation is at present available. Deprotection is achieved by base-catalyzed isomerization of the propargyl ether group to the corresponding allenyl ether, followed by oxidative cleavage with N-methylmorpholine N-oxide and catalytic osmium tetroxide.