No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

Glycosyl donors protected with bulky silyl protective groups (tert-butyldimethylsilyl, TBS), on the 2-, 3-, and 4-OH groups were found to have superior reactivity compared with benzylated thioglucosides. The enhanced reactivity is explained by the stereoelectronic effects associated with the conformational change induced by the silylation. A TBS silylated thioglucoside donor has axial OR groups, whereas a benzylated thioglucoside has equatorial OR groups, leading to much more favorable charge-dipole interactions in the transition state. This concept could be used to create "super armed" glucosyl, mannosyl, rhamnosyl, and galactosyl donors, which could cross-couple with the armed acceptors, phenyl 2,3,4-tri-O-benzyl-beta-D-thioglucoside or phenyl 2,3,6-tri-O-benzyl-beta-D-thioglucoside, to give the corresponding armed disaccharides in good to excellent yields.

Catalytic glycosylation has been a central reaction in carbohydrate chemistry since its introduction by Fischer 125 years ago, but it is only in the past three to four decades that catalytic methods for synthesizing oligosaccharides have appeared. Despite the development of numerous elegant and ingenious catalytic glycosylation methods, only a few are in general use. This review covers all methods of catalytic glycosylation with the focus on the development and application in oligosaccharide synthesis and provide an overview of the scope and limitations of these. The review also includes relevant mechanistic studies of catalytic glycosylations. The future of catalytic glycosylation chemistry is discussed, including specific, upcoming methods and possible directions for the field of research in general.