Polyhydroxy Amino Acid Derivatives via β-Lactams Using Enantiospecific Approaches and Microwave Techniques

Enantiospecific synthesis has been developed for α-hydroxy β-lactams of predictable absolute configuration starting with readily available carbohydrates. Stereospecific approaches and microwave assisted chemical reactions have been utilized for the preparation of these 3-hydroxy-2-azetidinones and their conversion to natural or non-natural enantiomeric forms of intermediates for gentosamine, 6-epi-lincosamine, γ-hydroxythreonine, and polyoxamic acid.