In recent years, the chemoselective ligation of secondary methoxyamine
derivatives (sugars, peptides, sterols) with unprotected
and non-activated reducing sugars has emerged as an efficient
route to access a variety of N-(O-methoxy)-linked neoglycoconjugates
in a manner, which bypasses the need for extensive protecting
group manipulation of the donor sugars (Scheme 1).1 These
ligation methods proceed under mildly acidic conditions where
the aminoxy group 2 selectively reacts with the aldehyde of the
reducing sugar (in its ring opened form) 1a to give an oxy-imminium
intermediate 3 (Scheme 1). Subsequent ring closure results in
the predominant formation of the b-linked N-(O-methoxy)-glycoside
3a in the pyranose form. There are only a few exceptions to
this b-selectivity such as mannose, which favours the a-configured
product. Some reactions using galactose and mannose have also
been reported where the furanose ligation adducts are observed
as minor products.1