Synthesis of novel photolabile glycosides from methyl 4,6-O-(o-nitro)benzylidene-α-d-glycopyranosides

Novel photolabile sugar derivatives bearing a 4- or 6-O-(o-nitro)benzyl group have been prepared from the corresponding methyl 4,6-O-(o-nitro)benzylidene α-d-glycopyranosides. Regioselective cleavage with BF3·Et2O/Et3SiH led to the methyl 6-O-(o-nitro)benzyl gluco- and manno-α-d-glycopyranosides 3 and 6. Inversion of configuration at 4-OH position of gluco and manno derivatives offered the otherwise inaccessible methyl 6-O-(o-nitro)benzyl galacto- and talo-α-d-glycopyranosides 4, 5, and 7. Careful reaction with PhBCl2/Et3SiH (3 equiv of reagents, 10 min at −78 °C) led to the desired methyl 4-O-(o-nitro)benzyl gluco- and manno-α-d-glycopyranosides 8 and 9 in very good yield. However, prolonged reaction with 6 equiv of PhBCl2/Et3SiH transformed the methyl 4,6-O-(o-nitro)benzylidene α-d-glucopyranoside 11 into the reduced d-glucitol derivative 15. Oxidative cleavage of 5,6-diol function of 15 gave the corresponding photolabile l-xylose 17. The photolabile glucosides 3 and 8 have been further transformed into the photolabile α-C-allyl d-glucopyranosides 20 and 22.