Is acyl migration to the aglycon avoidable in 2-acyl assisted glycosylation reactions?

This report unequivocally separates orthoester formation from acyl transfer for the first time and indicates possible routes to eliminate 2-O-acyl transfer during glycosylation reactions. Experimental evidence is shown that acyl transfer from 2-O-acyl-3,4,6-tri-O-benzyl-D-galactopyranose-derived glycosyl donors decreases in the order formyl > acetyl > pivaloyl. The 2-O-benzoyl derivatives are more variable, in some cases transferring easily, and in others not at all. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations of the structure and energetics of dioxolenium ion and related intermediates suggest that a proton transfer pathway from the nucleophile to O-2 provides an explanation for the observed trends. These DFT calculations of the proton transfer pathway support a mechanism in which a relay molecule is involved. Further DFT calculations used a constraint based on linear combinations of six bond lengths to establish the sequence of bond breaking and bond forming. The calculated anomeric carbon to former carbonyl oxygen bond that breaks during acyl transfer is the longest in the formyl case and shortest in those that exhibit little or no acyl transfer. Rotation about the aromatic to carbonyl Ph-C(=O) bond is different from the alkyl series. Analysis of this proposed TS led to the postulate that 2,6-substitution may hinder rotation even more. Thus, the 2,6-dimethylbenzoyl analogue was synthesized and it does not transfer directly or by rearrangement of its readily formed orthoester. DFT calculations suggested that 2,6-dimethoxybenzoyl should also not transfer easily. Experimentally, this proved to be the case and this new 2-O-acyl protecting group cleaves at 50 degreesC with a 1 mol/L solution of LiOH in methanol. Thus, a calculated transition state has led to a prototype of a protecting group that solves a major problem in oligosaccharide synthesis.