Stereoselective synthesis of pseudoglycosides catalyzed by TeCl4 under mild conditions

Catalytic amounts of tellurium(IV) tetrachloride were used to promote the O-glycosylation of 3,4,6-tri-O-acetyl-d-glucal to give the corresponding 2,3-unsaturated-O-glycosides. With simple alcohols, the desired compounds were obtained in good yields and excellent anomeric selectivity in a short reaction time using only 2 mol % of the catalyst. The application of the method in the synthesis of a small set of glycopyranosides with rigid or flexible linkers gave the corresponding α anomers as products in good yields. Further applications of some of the synthesized compounds in allylation reaction of aldehydes gave the corresponding homoallylic alcohols in good yields.