Radical methods are of central importance in organic synthesis [ 11. These reactions are performed under mild and neutral conditions, which usually avoids competing ionic side reactions. Carbon-centered radicals are compatible with a range of functional groups (e.g. aliphatic alcohols, amines, ketones, esters) and also show high chemoselectivity under carefully controlled reaction conditions. Furthermore, reactions involving loss of stereochemistry at the non-radical center are not problematic, and hence radical methods are emerging as a powerful synthetic tool in the field of carbohydrate chemistry.In this article we provide a broad overview of the application of radical methods in carbohydrate chemistry, including typical examples classified by the type of bond formed. The factors controlling the stereoselectivity of inter-and intramolecular C-C bond formation are now well understood and have been exploited in the synthesis of C-glycosides [2]. Intramolecular C-C bond formation using carbohydratebased chiral templates also provides a powerful route to branched-chain sugars [ 3 ] and carbocycles [4]. Finally, we include synthetically useful processes involving key carbon-heteroatom and C-H bond formation.
Intermolecular Carbon-Carbon Bond Formation
Synthesis of C-GlycosidesA powerful strategy for the formation of C-glycosides is the intermolecular addition of an anomeric radical to n-systems [2]. Anomeric pyranosyl radicals are readily generated by a variety of standard methods and are nucleophilic in character because of interaction of the SOMO with the non-bonding electron pair of the adjacent ring oxygen. Anomeric radicals therefore undergo addition to n-systems when the high-lying SOMO can interact with a low-lying LUMO as in electron-deficient
Radicals in Organic Synthesis Edited