α-C-Glycosides via syn Opening of 1,2-Anhydro Sugars with Organozinc Compounds in Toluene/n-Dibutyl Ether.

The diastereoselective addition of organozinc species to 1,2-anhydro sugars in toluene/n-dibutyl ether solvent is reported. Compared to the existing methods, the reaction proceeds at 0 °C, and only a slight excess of nucleophile is required to achieve good yields. Scope was assessed with different O-protected glycals along with various nucleophiles (aryl, alkynyl). This methodology was applied to the synthesis of the α-anomer of canagliflozin.

C-H Halogenation of Pyridyl Sulfides Avoiding the Sulfur Oxidation: A Direct Catalytic Access to Sulfanyl Polyhalides and Polyaromatics.

Palladium-catalyzed oxidative C-H halogenation and acetoxylation reactions of S-unprotected sulfides, selectively directed by pyridinyl groups, allows the formation of C-X bonds (X = I, Br, Cl, OAc) by using simple halosuccinimide or phenyliodine diacetate (PIDA) oxidants. The undesired formation of sulfoxides and/or sulfones, which are usually observed under oxidative conditions, is fully obviated. Under the solvent-dependent conditions that we proposed, sulfide C-H functionalization is achieved in less than 1 h without any direct electrophilic halogenation at the pyridine moiety. N-Directed ortho-C-H activation of aryl also facilitates dibromination reactions which are hardly accessible with sulfone and sulfoxide counterparts because of their higher structural rigidity. This general method gives a straightforward access to polyhalide sulfides, without an organosulfur reduction step or protection-deprotection sequence. Polyhalide sulfides are valuable synthons that give a practical entry to new constrained polyaromatic and biphenyl sulfides, including synthetically challenging unsymmetrical examples.