Titanium(III) Reagents in Carbohydrate Chemistry: Glycal and C-Glycoside Synthesis

Titanocene(III) chloride and zirconcene(III) chloride are effective and mild reagents for radical generation in organic synthesis. In carbohydrate chemistry, these species are useful for the conversion of glycosyl halides to glycals, and for the stereospecific preparation of C-glycosides. In all cases, the 1-glycosyl radical is an active intermediate, generated by reaction of carbohydrate substrates with the organometallic.