Regioselective Reductive Opening of Benzylidene Acetals with Dichlorophenylborane/Triethylsilane: Previously Unreported Side Reactions and How to Prevent Them

Arylidene acetals are widely used protecting groups, because of not only the high regioselectivity of their introduction but also the possibility of performing further regioselective reductive opening in the presence of a hydride donor and an acid catalyst. In this context, the Et₃SiH/PhBCl₂ system presents several advantages: silanes are efficient, environmentally benign, and user-friendly hydride donors, while PhBCl₂ opens the way to unique regioselectivity with regard to all other Brønsted or Lewis acids used with silanes. This system has been extensively used by several groups, and we have demonstrated its high regioselectivity in the reductive opening of 4,6- and 2,4-O-p-methoxybenzylidene moieties in protected disaccharides. Surprisingly, its use on 4,6-O-benzylidene-containing substrates 1 and 2 led to unreproducible yields due to the unexpected formation of several side products. Their characterizations allowed us to identify different pitfalls potentially affecting the outcome of reductive opening of arylidenes with the Et₃SiH/PhBCl₂ reagent system: alkene hydroboration, azide reduction, and/or Lewis acid-promoted cleavage of the arylidene. With this knowledge, we optimized reproducible and high-yielding reaction conditions that secure and extend the scope of the Et₃SiH/PhBCl₂ system as a reagent for the regioselective opening of arylidenes in complex and multifunctional molecules.

Ionic Liquid Catalyzed Per-O-Acetylation and Benzylidene Ring-Opening Reaction

Tunable aryl imidazolium ionic liquids acting as Brønsted acid ionic liquids were found to be efficient catalysts for per-O-acetylation and reductive ring opening of benzylidene acetals. This method requires a truly catalytic amount of the least expensive available ionic liquids that are water-stable and reusable and also stable at room temperature. The reactions were obtained in one hour with good to excellent yields. These reactions can form C−O and C−H bonds with a high atom economy. Furthermore, the ionic liquid is an anomeric selective catalyst in per-O-acetylation and reductive ring opening of benzylidene acetals of sugar moieties.

Bio-Based Solvents and Gasoline Components From Renewable 2,3-Butanediol and 1,2-Propanediol: Synthesis and Characterization

In this study approaches for chemical conversions of the renewable compounds 1,2-propanediol (1,2-PD) and 2,3-butanediol (2,3-BD) that yield the corresponding cyclic ketals and glycol ethers have been investigated experimentally. The characterization of the obtained products as potential green solvents and gasoline components is discussed. Cyclic ketals have been obtained by the direct reaction of the diols with lower aliphatic ketones (1,2-PD + acetone → 2,2,4-trimethyl-1,3-dioxolane (TMD) and 2,3-BD + butanone-2 → 2-ethyl-2,4,5-trimethyl-1,3-dioxolane (ETMD)), for which the ΔH⁰_r, ΔS⁰_r and ΔG⁰_r values have been estimated experimentally. The monoethers of diols could be obtained through either hydrogenolysis of the pure ketals or from the ketone and the diol via reductive alkylation. In the both reactions, the cyclic ketals (TMD and ETMD) have been hydrogenated in nearly quantitative yields to the corresponding isopropoxypropanols (IPP) and 3-sec-butoxy-2-butanol (SBB) under mild conditions (T = 120-140 °C, p(H₂) = 40 bar) with high selectivity (>93%). Four products (TMD, ETMD, IPP and SBB) have been characterized as far as their physical properties are concerned (density, melting/boiling points, viscosity, calorific value, evaporation rate, Antoine equation coefficients), as well as their solvent ones (Kamlet-Taft solvatochromic parameters, miscibility, and polymer solubilization). In the investigation of gasoline blending properties, TMD, ETMD, IPP and SBB have shown remarkable antiknock performance with blending antiknock indices of 95.2, 92.7, 99.2 and 99.7 points, respectively.

Modular Acid-Activatable Acetone-Based Ketal-Linked Nanomedicine by Dexamethasone Prodrugs for Enhanced Anti-Rheumatoid Arthritis with Low Side Effects

Given the physically encapsulated payloads with drug burst release and/or low drug loading, it is critical to initiate an innovative prodrug strategy to optimize the design of modular nanomedicines. Here, we designed modular pH-sensitive acetone-based ketal-linked prodrugs of dexamethasone (AKP-dexs) and formulated them as nanoparticles. We comprehensively studied the relationships between AKP-dex structure and properties, and we selected two types of AKP-dex-loaded nanoparticles for in vivo studies on the basis of their size, drug loading, and colloidal stability. In a collagen-induced arthritis rat model, these AKP-dex-loaded nanoparticles showed higher accumulation in inflamed joints and better therapeutic efficacy than free dexamethasone phosphate with less-severe side effects. AKP-dex-loaded nanoparticles may be useful for treating other inflammatory diseases and thus have great translational potential. Our findings represent an important step toward the development of practical applications for acetone-based ketal-linked prodrugs and are useful in the design of modular nanomedicines.

Synthesis of carbohydrate building blocks via regioselective uniform protection/deprotection strategies

Discussed herein is the synthesis of partially protected carbohydrates by manipulating only one type of a protecting group for a given substrate. The first focus of this review is the uniform protection of an unprotected starting material in a way that only one (or two) hydroxyl group remains unprotected. The second focus involves regioselective partial deprotection of uniformly protected compounds in a way that only one (or two) hydroxyl group becomes liberated.

Stereoselective (2-naphthyl)methylation of sugar hydroxyls by the hydrogenolysis of diastereoisomeric dioxolane-type (2-naphthyl)methylene acetals

The cis axial/equatorial OH groups of methyl alpha-L- and ethyl 1-thio-alpha-L-rhamnopyranoside, 1,6-anhydro-beta-D-mannopyranose, and 1,6-anhydro-beta-D-galactopyranose were reacted with 2-naphthaldehyde dimethyl acetal to diastereomeric dioxolane-type 2,3-O-(2-naphthyl)methylene or 3,4-O-(2-naphthyl)methylene acetals. The glycosides yielded the exo- and endo-isomers in nearly 1:1 ratio, 1,6-anhydro-beta-D-mannopyranose gave predominantly the endo-, and 1,6-anhydro-beta-D-galactopyranose exclusively endo-isomer. The acetals and some of their fully protected derivatives bearing benzyl or tert-butyldimethylsilyl groups were hydrogenolised with AlH(3) (3LiAlH(4)-AlCl(3)) or with Me(3)N.BH(3)-AlCl(3) reagents. The endo-isomers were cleaved by both reagents to give axial NAP ethers, the exo-isomers of pyranosides furnished equatorial NAP ethers. However, the exo-isomers of pyranoses gave irregular axial ethers with a > 30-fold enhancement of the reaction rates with respect to the endo-isomer.

Novel tools for the study of class I alpha-mannosidases: a chromogenic substrate and a substrate-analog inhibitor

The use of chromogenic substrates for evaluation of class I alpha-mannosidase is described. 2('),4(')-Dinitrophenyl-alpha-D-mannopyranoside allows rapid and sensitive assays of enzymatic activities, e.g., of heterologously expressed alpha-1,2-mannosidase from Trichoderma reesei. Interaction constants of several ligands with alpha-mannosidases from class I and II could also be determined. Furthermore, novel types of inhibitors derived from D-lyxose are presented. Methyl-alpha-D-lyxopyranosyl-(1(')-->2)-alpha-D-mannopyranoside is a potent inhibitor of the alpha-1,2-mannosidase from T. reesei (K(i)=600 microM) and since it probably spans subsites -1/+1, this disaccharide could be valuable in crystallographic studies of class I alpha-mannosidases.

Synthesis of fragments of the glycocalyx glycan of the parasite Schistosoma mansoni

The chemical synthesis of alpha-L-Fucp-(1 --> 3)-beta-D-GalpNAc-(1 --> 4)-beta-D-GlcpNAc-(1 --> 3)-alpha-D-GalpO(CH2)5NH2, beta-D-GalpNAc-(1 --> 4)-[alpha-L-Fucp-(1 --> 3)-]beta-D-GlcpNAc-(1 --> 3)-alpha-D-GalpO(CH2)5NH2, and alpha-L-Fucp-(1 --> 3)-beta-D-GalpNAc-(1 --> 4)-[alpha-L-Fucp-(1 --> 3)-]beta-D-GlcpNAc-(1 --> 3)-alpha-D-GalpO(CH2)5NH2 is described. These structures represent fucosylated oligosaccharide fragments of the glycocalyx glycan of the cercarial stage of the parasite Schistosoma mansoni, and in protein-conjugated form they are potential diagnostics in the search for antibodies raised against the glycan in the serum of infected humans.

DIBALH mediated reduction of the acetal moiety on perhydrofuro[2,3-b]pyran derivatives

The reaction of DIBALH with bis(heteroannulated)-pyranosides containing the perhydrofuro[2,3-b]pyran moiety is described. The hydride attack at the anomeric carbon (C-9a) resulted in the exclusive tetrahydrofuran ring opening. The selectivity of this reaction has been evaluated as other benzylidene acetals built on these substrates remain practically or partially unaltered in these conditions depending on the steric volume of the O-protecting group located at C-4 (TBDMS vs. Me). This protocol can be considered as a new entry for the synthesis of chiral and highly functionalized cyclopentanes.

A highly stereoselective construction of beta-glycosyl linkages by reductive cleavage of cyclic sugar ortho esters

The preparation of beta-glycosides by the reductive cleavage of spiro sugar ortho esters is described in this report. This procedure is based on a concept completely different from those of other methods for glycosylation. Twelve sugar ortho esters that commonly possess perhydrospiro[2H-pyran-2,2'-pyrano[3,2-d][1,3]dioxin] ring systems in their molecules were reduced by LiAlH(4)/AlCl(3) or NaCNBH(3)/AlCl(3). Among these ortho esters, those (9a-12a) prepared from the D-sugar lactones (1-4) and 2, 3-di-O-benzyl-alpha-D-glucopyranoside (7) or those (19a, 20a) prepared from the L-sugar lactones (5, 6) and 2, 3-di-O-benzyl-alpha-D-galactopyranoside (8) were selectively converted into beta-(1 --> 4)-glycosides (9b-12b or 19b, 20b) in excellent yields by the treatment of LiAlH(4)/AlCl(3). In contrast, the ortho esters (13a-16a or 17a, 18a) that were prepared from combinations of the D-sugar lactones and 8 or those of the L-sugar lactones and 7 were efficiently reduced with NaBH(3)CN/AlCl(3) to afford beta-(1 --> 6)-glycosides (13b-16b or 17b, 18b) selectively. It was remarkable that the resulting disaccharides were obtained with extremely high beta-selectivity even in the cases with mannosyl or rhamnosyl glycosides. Moreover, these products would be useful units for the construction of branched saccharides, because the newly formed hydroxy groups could be again glycosylated without further deprotection procedures. The high regio- and stereoselectivity was totally explained by considering the structures and the conformations of these ortho ester molecules and the stereoelectoronic effects of their spiro ring systems. In addition, the preparation of the sugar ortho esters with glucosamine derivatives and the reactivity of these ortho esters are described in this report. N-Phthaloyl glucosamine derivatives (21, 22) were efficiently reacted with the benzyl-protected gluconolactone (1) in the presence of TMSOMe and TMSOTf to afford ortho esters (23a-c). After the conversion of the phthalimido functionality to the dibenzyl amino group, glucosylideneglucosamine (25) was reduced with LiAlH(4)/AlCl(3) to afford beta-(1 --> 4)-glycoside (26) selectively.

Synthesis of a hexasaccharide acceptor corresponding to the reducing terminus of mycobacterial 3-O-methylmannose polysaccharide (MMP)

The title compound methyl O-(2,6-di-O-benzyl-3-O-methyl-alpha-D-mannopyranosyl)-[(1-->4) -O-(2,6-di-O-benzyl-3-O-methyl-alpha-D-mannopyranosyl)]4-(1-->4) -2,6-di-O-benzyl-3-O-methyl-alpha-D-mannopyranoside (2) was synthesized in a blockwise manner, employing trichloroacetimidate (11) and (20) as glycosyl donors. The strategy relies on the single-step preparation of the 3-O-methyl ethers (4) and (12) as starting materials. Since all intermediates contain one or more OCH3 groups, they are easily identified by NMR spectroscopy using the methyl proton signals. Compound 2 corresponds to the reducing terminal hexasaccharide of mycobacterial 3-O-methyl-mannose polysaccharide (MNP). MMP has the unusual property of stimulating the fatty acid synthetase multienzyme complex. Compound 2 can serve as a suitable glycosyl acceptor for the synthesis of extended fragments of MMP.