Changes in the concentration of reagents (0.009–0.2 M) have been shown to dramatically effect the yield and stereoselectivity of glycosylation with a sialic acid based glycosyl donor in a complex nonlinear manner that correlates with changes in the structures of the supramers of the reagents. The yield of disaccharide gradually increases with concentration and levels off at concentrations of glycosyl donor higher than 69 mM. The ratio of anomers is very high at some concentrations (α/β ≈ 20:1), moderate (α/β ≈ 8:1) or very low (α/β ≈ 4:1) at others. The formation of mixed supramers of glycosyl donor and glycosyl acceptor at concentrations exceeding 69 mM was detected by polarimetry and laser light scattering.

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A pyranose ring contraction of ethyl 1-thio-β-d-galactopyranosides has been discovered that proceeds with retention of aglycon under mildly acidic conditions (aq TFA in CH2Cl2). Key factors for success of this rearrangement are the presence of bulky silyl (TIPS or TBDPS) substituents at both O-2 and O-3 and a free hydroxy group at C-4 (derivatives with acid-labile protective groups at O-4 will also engage in this reaction). The rearrangement cleanly proceeds for 2,3-di-O-TIPS derivatives with two hydroxy groups at C-4 and C-6, acid-labile TES groups at O-4 and O-6, or one acyl substituent (Bz, ClAc) at O-6. A possibility to switch the direction of the debenzylidenation reaction in 4,6-O-benzylidene-2,3-di-O-TIPS/TBDPS derivatives by the choice of an acid (TFA, which cleanly gives furanose, versus AcOH, which cleaves benzylidene acetal only) may present an advantage in the divergent synthesis of selectively protected glycosyl donors (either in furanose or pyranose form) useful for the synthesis of biologically important oligosaccharides.

Changes in the hydrogen‐bonding pattern in solutions of glycosyl donor induced by the addition of external amides/imides or by concentration changes influence the yield and stereoselectivity of sialylation. (© Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2008)

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