Pd-Catalyzed Umpolung Chemistry of Glycal Acetates and Their [2,3]-Dehydrosugar Isomers

Glycals as Chiral Synthons in Organic Synthesis of Privileged Molecular Scaffolds

Chirality is a vital characteristic of molecules and crucial for biological functioning. Glycals are unsaturated chiral sugars that contain an enolic double bond within the ring structure and they introduce the chirality in the molecular scaffolds. Since their discovery and synthesis by Fischer and Zach in 1913, they have been used as a flexible chiral synthon for synthesising natural products and biologically significant molecules. An important area of study in organic synthesis involves functionalizing glycals, with particular emphasis on creating novel molecular scaffolds with a common backbone using various topologies. This review discusses recent advancements in synthesizing chiral molecules, emphasizing the innovative use of glycals as chiral synthons, and covers literature from 2020 to the present.

Photoinduced Platinum-Catalyzed Reductive Allylation of α-Diketones with Allylic Carbonates

A unique process for the photoinduced platinum-catalyzed reductive allylation of α-diketones with allylic carbonates has been developed. This allylation reaction was found to proceed selectively at the more electron-deficient carbonyl group of the diketone to afford an α-keto homoallylic alcohol. Such products could be further derivatized by transformation of the remaining carbonyl group. A mechanistic investigation suggests that a ketyl radical generated in response to photoirradiation reacts with a (π-allyl)platinum complex to form a C-C bond.