A practical method for preparation of β-glycosides of N-acetylglucosamine

A mild and efficient method for preparation of GlcNAc derivatives by reaction of glycosyl acceptors with glycosyl oxazolines has been developed. The key feature is use of Yb(OTf)(3) as promoter, requiring moderate reaction times and equivalence stoichiometry. We anticipate application in the preparation of a wide range of derivatives of this biologically important class of building blocks. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.