Advancing Optoglycomics: Two Orthogonal Azobenzene Glycoside Antennas in One Glycocluster-Synthesis, Switching Cycles, Kinetics and Molecular Dynamics.

Carbohydrate recognition is essential for numerous biological processes and is governed by various factors within the supramolecular environment of the cell. Photoswitchable glycoconjugates have proven as valuable tools for the investigation and modulation of carbohydrate recognition as they allow to control the relative orientation of sugar ligands by light. In order to advance the possibilities of such an "optoglycomics" approach for the glycosciences, we have synthesized a biantennary glycocluster in which two glycoazobenzene antennas are conjugated to the 3- and 6-position of a scaffold glycoside. Orthogonal isomerization of the photoswitchable units was made possible by the different conjugation of the azobenzene moieties via an oxygen and a sulfur atom, respectively, and the ortho-fluorination of one of the azobenzene units. This design enabled a switching cycle comprising the EE, EZ and the ZZ isomer. This is the first example of an orthogonally photoswitchable glycocluster. The full analysis of its photochromic properties included the investigation of the isolated glycoazobenzene antennas allowing the comparison of the intra- versus the intermolecular orthogonal photoswitching. The kinetics of the thermal relaxation were analyzed in detail. A molecular dynamics study shows that indeed, the relative orientation of the glycoantennas and the distances between the terminal sugar ligands significantly vary depending on the isomeric state, as intended.

Migration of para-Nitrophenyl Groups in Methyl Pyranosides: Configuration and Conformation Determine the Kinetics.

para-Nitrophenyl (PNP) ethers of glycosides are important building blocks en route to functional carbohydrates. They are stable in neutral media, however, under basic conditions such as during the Zemplén deacylation of sugars, aryl migration is frequently observed. We have employed a library of O-PNP-substituted methyl glycosides of the manno-, galacto-, gluco- and altro-series to study the kinetics of aryl migration in MeOH/sodium methoxide using NMR spectroscopy revealing that migration between cis-oriented OH groups is faster than between trans-oriented ones. The rate constants of migration decrease in the order of Alt > Man > Gal > Glc and are related to the energy barriers of chair conformation inversion. The energy profile of the 3 to 4-PNP migration in methyl mannoside was calculated using DFT methods suggesting the Meisenheimer complex is an intermediate of PNP migration and that coordination of the sodium cation has a major impact on the energy profile.