Efficient alternative for the reduction of N-trichloroacetyl groups in synthetic chondroitin oligosaccharide intermediates

An efficient alternative for the reduction of N-trichloroacetyl groups in chondroitin oligosaccharides is reported. It involves the use of Zn–Cu couple in acetic acid, and was successfully applied to a large panel of synthetic intermediates useful for the preparation of chondroitin oligomers, a class of natural products with numerous relevant biological functions.