Thioglycosides as Glycosyl Donors in Oligosaccharide Synthesis

Abstract

This chapter analyzes the importance of thioclycosides as the glycosyl donors in oligosaccharide synthesis. The presence and biological importance of oligosaccharide structures, usually as the components of glycolipids and glycoproteins, in bacterial capsular and cell-wall polysaccharides, in mammalian cell membranes, in cytoplasm, and in extra-cellular fluids are well documented. Acylated glycosyl thiocyanates are made by the treatment of acylated glycopyranosyl halides with potassium thiocyanate. An attractive feature of thioglycosides as the glycosyl donors in oligosaccharide synthesis is that they are readily converted into all of the other glycosyl donors. The glycosyl bromide can also be converted into a 4-pentenyl glycoside, which becomes a glycosyl donor by promotion with an iodonium compound. Tris(4-bromophenyl)ammoniurnyl hexachloroantimonate (TBPA) differs from the other promoters in the context that its cation is a radical and produces radical cationic sulfonium ions such as glycosylating species from thioglycosides. In acetonitrile as solvent, and with a nonparticipating 2-substituent in the glycosyl donor, 1,2- trans glycosides are formed as a result of solvent participant. The transfer of the Armed–Disarmed concept to thioglycoside glycosylation reactions is also elaborated in the chapter.