Recent advances in direct synthesis of 2-deoxy glycosides and thioglycosides

Abstract

2-Deoxy sugars exist in numerous bioactive molecules and exert significant influences on their physical, chemical, and biological properties. Due to the absence of directing group at C-2 and the labile nature of glycosidic linkages, stereoselective construction of 2-deoxy glycosides is rather challenging. Despite the fact that remarkable success in the synthesis of 2-deoxy sugars were achieved using indirect routes, direct synthesis of 2-deoxy glycosides has been extensively explored in order to improve overall synthetic efficiency through eliminating extra pre- and post-glycosylation steps. In this account, we have summarized advances in direct synthesis of 2-deoxy glycosides reported in the last decade, with an emphasis on those efforts published in last five years. In addition, some recent reports in stereoselective synthesis of 2-deoxy thioglycosides have also been discussed.