Efficient syntheses of optically pure chiro- and allo-inositol derivatives, azidocyclitols and aminocyclitols from myo-inositol

Efficient routes for the syntheses of optically pure and hitherto unknown l-chiro- and d-allo-inositol derivatives, azido- and aminocyclitols of l-chiro-configuration, diazido- and diaminocyclitols of d-allo-configuration from economically viable myo-inositol are described. These routes provide access to synthetically flexible 1,2:4,5-di-O-isopropylidene-chiro-inositol and 1,6:3,4-di-O-isopropylidene-allo-inositol, which are otherwise difficult to synthesize directly from their parent inositols. A one pot methodology that allows rapid access to both chiro- and allo-inositol derivatives has also been developed. Investigations on the glycosidase inhibitory properties of these novel azido- and amino-inositols unraveled the potentials of these classes of compounds as novel class of glycosidase inhibitors. Both d and l forms of these cyclitols could be synthesized from myo-inositol in gram scales and hence by exploiting the difference in reactivities of cis- and trans-ketals, a variety of protected derivatives, which are useful for the synthesis of unnatural phosphoinositols and natural products, can be synthesized.