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Updated: Aug 30, 2026

A Two-Step Protocol for Umpolung Functionalization of Ketones Via Enolonium Species
Published on: August 16, 2018
Epimerization of 2'-carbonylalkyl-C-glycosides via enolation, beta-elimination and intramolecular cycloaddition
Zerong Wang1, Huawu Shao, Edith Lacroix
1Institute for Biological Sciences, National Research Council of Canada, 100 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0R6, Canada.
Abstract:
Treatment of 2'-carbonyl-alpha-C-glycopyranosides of gluco, galacto, manno, 2-deoxy, and 2-azido sugars with 4% NaOMe resulted in anomeric epimerization to give their respective beta-anomers in good to excellent yields. The epimerization of the 2'-aldehyde of alpha-C-galactopyranoside (10) in deuterium methanol, which afforded the beta-anomer with exclusive deuterium replacements at the 1'-position, excluded the possibility of the exo-glycal as being involved as an intermediate. When 2'-aldehyde (36) and 2'-ketone (41) of 2,3-di-O-benzyl-alpha/beta-l-C-arabinofuranoside were used as substrates we were able to obtain the respective equatorial alpha-C-arabinopyranosides (37 and 42). These observations confirmed that the epimerization involves an acyclic alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehyde or ketone, which is formed by the enolation of 2'-carbonyl-alpha-C-glycoside with subsequent beta-elimination. Thereafter an intramolecular hetero-Michael cycloaddition occurs, leading to the formation of thermodynamically controlled stable products, which were exclusively the equatorial C-glycopyranosides, except in the case of 2'-carbonyl-C-furanosides, where a mixture of two anomers was obtained.
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