Non-Glycosidically Linked Pseudodisaccharides: Thioethers, Sulfoxides, Sulfones, Ethers, Selenoethers, and Their Binding to Lectins

Hydrolytically stable non-glycosidically linked tail-to-tail pseudodisaccharides are linked by a single bridging atom remote from the anomeric centre of the constituent monosaccharides. Some such pseudodisaccharides with sulfur or oxygen bridges were found to act as disaccharide mimetics in their binding to the Banana Lectin and to Concanavalin A. A versatile synthetic route to a small library of such compounds is described.