4,6-O-benzylidene-directed beta-mannopyranosylation and alpha-glucopyranosylation: the 2-deoxy-2-fluoro and 3-deoxy-3-fluoro series of donors and the importance of the O2-C2-C3-O3 interaction.

A series of 4,6-O-benzylidene-protected 2-O-benzyl-3-deoxy-3-fluoro- and 3-O-benzyl-2-deoxy-2-fluorogluco- and mannopyranosyl thioglycosides were synthesized and their coupling reactions with a series of alcohols, on preactivation with 1-benzenesulfinylpiperidine and trifluoromethanesulfonic anhydride, investigated. In all cases, the selectivities were lower than those observed with the corresponding simple 4,6-O-benzylidene 2,3-di-O-benzylgluco- and mannopyranosyl thioglycosides. This leads to the conclusion that the high beta-selectivity observed with 4,6-O-benzylidene 2,3-di-O-benzylmannopyranosyl donors under the same conditions is in large part derived from the compression of the O2-C2-C3-O3 torsion angle on going from the intermediate covalent glycosyl triflate to the oxacarbenium ion, as compared to the relaxation of this torsion angle in the gluco series.