Scalable total synthesis of natural vanillin-derived glucoside ω-esters

Abstract

The first total synthesis of vanilloloside, calleryanin, and a series of naturally occurring ω-esters of vanilloloside was realized through direct glycosylation of vanillin-based aglycones or late-stage derivatization of vanilloloside. All aglycones and their fragments were synthesized from vanillin as the sole aromatic precursor. Subsequently, these intermediates were used to construct various vanillin-derived glucoside ω-esters using a mild acidic deacetylation as the key synthetic step, providing the final products in the total yields of 10–50% and general purity of >95%. Additionally, the first operationally simple and sustainable synthesis of litseafoloside B was realized on large scale, avoiding the use of toxic solvents and reagents, providing an attractive alternative to isolation of this and other similar compounds from plant sources.