Synthesis of 4-thio-D-glucopyranose and interconversion to 4-thio-D-glucofuranose

Sulfur containing glycosides offer an exciting prospect for inclusion within noncanonical glycan sequences, particularly as enabling probes for chemical glycobiology and for carbohydrate-based therapeutic development. In this context, we required access to 4-thio-D-glucopyranose and sought its chemical synthesis. Unable to isolate this material in homogenous form, we observed instead a thermodynamic preference for interconversion of the pyranose to 4-thio-D-glucofuranose. Accordingly, we present an improved method to access both bis(4-thio-D-glucopyranoside)-4,4′-disulfide and 4-thio-D-glucofuranose from a single precursor, demonstrating that the latter compound can be accessed from the former using a dithiothreitol controlled reduction of the disulfide. The dithiothreitol-mediated interconversion between pyranose (monomer and disulfide) and furanose forms for this thiosugar is monitored by ¹H NMR spectroscopy over a 24-h period. Access to these materials will support accessing sulfur-containing mimetics of glucose and derivatives therefrom, such as sugar nucleotides.