Controlling the stereoselectivity of glycosylation via solvent effects

Abstract

This review covers a special topic in carbohydrate chemistry — solvent effects on the stereoselectivity of glycosylation reactions. Obtaining highly stereoselective glycosidic linkages is one of the most challenging tasks in organic synthesis, as it is affected by various controlling factors. One of the least understood factors is the effect of solvents. We have described the known solvent effects while providing both general rules and specific examples. We hope this review will not only help fellow researchers understand the known aspects of solvent effects and use that in their experiments, but moreover, we expect that more studies on this topic will be started and continued to expand our understanding of the mechanistic aspects of solvent effects in glycosylation reactions.