Synthesis of Protected 3-Deoxy-3-fluoro- and 4-Deoxy-4-fluoro-d-galactopyranosides from Levoglucosan

Fluorinated carbohydrates are invaluable tools to study various biochemical processes. Herein, we describe a new strategy to access orthogonally protected 3-deoxy-3-fluorogalactopyranose and acetylated 4-deoxy-4-fluorogalactopyranose. Starting from inexpensive levoglucosan, most reactions were performed on a gram scale and allowed excellent regio- and stereocontrol with a minimal use of protection/deprotection cycles. Hence, we developed practical alternatives to the decade-long reported method to access both 3-deoxy-3-fluoro- and 4-deoxy-4-fluorogalactopyranose.