Direct Organocatalytic De Novo Synthesis of Carbohydrates

Abstract

One small step for a catalyst: A biomimetic asymmetric synthesis of carbohydrates was accomplished by a proline-catalyzed aldol reaction of 2,2-dimethyl-1,3-dioxan-5-one as the methylene component with various aldehydes. This new organocatalytic C3+Cn strategy leads directly to selectively protected simple sugars and amino sugars.