S-Phenyl 2,6-di-O-benzyl-3,4-O-(2',3'-dimethoxybutane-2', 3'-diyl)-1-thia-alpha-D-mannopyranoside and its sulfoxide, following activation at -78 degrees C with benzenesulfenyl triflate or triflic anhydride, respectively, provide the corresponding alpha-mannosyl triflate as demonstrated by NMR spectroscopy. On addition of an acceptor alcohol alpha-mannosides are then formed. Similarly, S-phenyl 2,3-O-carbonyl-4, 6-O-benzylidene-1-thia-alpha-D-mannopyranoside and ethyl 3-O-benzoyl-4, 6-O-benzylidene-2-O-(tert-butyldimethylsilyl)-1-thia-alpha-D-mannopyr anoside both provide alpha-mannosides on activation with benzenesulfenyl triflate followed by addition of an alcohol. These results stand in direct contrast to the highly beta-selective couplings of comparable glycosylations with 2,3-di-O-benzyl-4, 6-O-benzylidene protected mannosyl donors and draw attention to the subtle interplay of reactivity and structure in carbohydrate chemistry.

The role of ortho esters in the formation of 2,3,4-tri-O-benzoyl-β-xylopyranosides from various donor/promoter pairs has been investigated. It is concluded that for the activation of sulfoxides with Tf2O, thioglycosides with PhSOTf, and bromides with AgOTf the anomeric configuration of the donor is of no consequence on the outcome of the reaction. In all methods studied, the presence or absence of a non-nucleophilic, hindered base is of crucial importance with ortho esters only being discernible in its presence. S-Phenyl 2,3,4-tri-O-benzoyl-1-deoxy-1-thia-β-d-xylopyranoside was synthesized enriched with 13C at each of the three carbonyl carbons. Activation of this thioglycoside with PhSOTf in CD2Cl2 at −78 °C with or without the base permits, for the first time, the observation by 13C NMR spectroscopy of a bridging dioxalenium ion as an intermediate in a neighboring group directed glycosylation. Quenching of this cation in the presence of the base leads to the ortho ester, whereas in the absence of the base the glycosides are the only products detected.

The role of the oxygen of the benzopyran substituent of ⌬ 9 -tetrahydrocannabinol in defining affinity for brain cannabinoid (CB 1 ) receptors is not well understood; however, it is known that opening the pyran ring can result in either increased potency and affinity, as in CP 55,940 [(Ϫ)-cis-3-[2-hydroxy-4(1,1-dimethyl-heptyl)phenyl]-trans-4-(3-hydroxy-propyl)cyclohexanol], or in an inactive cannabinoid, as in cannabidiol. In the present study, a series of bicyclic resorcinols that resemble cannabidiol were synthesized and tested in vitro and in vivo. Analysis of the structure-activity relationships of these analogs revealed several structural features that were important for maintaining CB 1 receptor recognition and in vivo activity, including the presence of a branched lipophilic side chain and free phenols as well as substitution of a cyclohexane as the second ring of these bicyclic cannabinoids. Many of these analogs exhibited CB 2 selectivity, particularly the dimethoxyresorcinol analogs, and this selectivity was enhanced by longer side chain lengths. Hence, unlike cannabidiol, these resorcinol derivatives had good affinity for CB 1 and/or CB 2 receptors as well as potent in vivo activity. These results suggest that the resorcinol series represent a novel template for the development of CB 2 -selective cannabinoid agonists that have the potential to offer insights into similarities and differences between structural requirements for receptor recognition at CB 1 and CB 2 receptors.

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