Diastereoselective resolution of 6-substituted glycosides via enzymatic hydrolysis

The diastereoselectivity of the enzymatic hydrolyses of 4-nitrophenyl 6-deoxy-6-methyl-(R)- and (S)-sulfinyl-beta-D-galactopyranoside (1a,b), 4-nitrophenyl 7-deoxy-D- and L-glycero-beta-D-galacto-heptopyranoside (2a,b) and 4-nitrophenyl 6,7-anhydro-D- and L-glycero-beta-D-galacto-heptopyranoside (3a,b) was investigated using a range of crude glycosidase preparations. It was shown that the enzymes display a high degree of discrimination between diastereomers thereby demonstrating the utility of glycosidases for the diastereomeric resolution of unnatural 6-substituted monosaccharide derivatives.