Carbohydrate-based oxepines: ring expanded glycals for the synthesis of septanose saccharides

A ring-closing metathesis (RCM) approach to a family of carbohydrate-based oxepines is described. A variety of readily accessible, protected monosaccharide derived dienes were used to demonstrate the utility of the synthetic sequence and to investigate how factors such as rigidification and deoxygenation mediate RCM using the Grubbs or Schrock catalyst. The seven-membered cyclic enol ethers are ring expanded glycals to be used in the synthesis of septanose carbohydrates.