α-Selective Glycosylation with β-Glycosyl Sulfonium Ions Prepared via Intramolecular Alkylation

Stereoselective glycosylation remains the main challenge in the chemical synthesis of oligosaccharides. Herein we report a simple method to convert thioglycosides into beta-sulfonium ions via an intramolecular alkylation reaction, leading to highly alpha-selective glycosylations for a variety of glycosyl acceptors. The influence of the thioglycoside substituent and the protecting group pattern on the glycosyl donor was investigated and showed a clear correlation with the observed stereoselectivity.