The steric effect of protecting groups on glycosyl donors can direct glycosylation stereochemistry by shielding one face of the molecule, promoting nucleophilic attack from the unhindered side [
20]. One of the various
α-directing galactosylation strategies includes using galactose donors containing bulky
O-6 protecting groups such as TBDPS ethers [
81]. The synthesis of glycolipid
215 was accomplished by Savage
et al. in a moderate yield
via glycosidic coupling followed by selective galactose oxidation to the corresponding uronic acid derivative (
Scheme 16A) [
82]. The synthetic sequence commenced with the Ph
2SO–Tf
2O-promoted coupling of donor
213 and acceptor
214, followed by sequential TBDPS deprotection, TEMPO-mediated oxidation and esterification to yield target compound
215. Bedini
et al. developed a synthesis method for producing the capsular polysaccharide repeating unit of
Colwellia psychrerythraea 34H using 6-
O-TBDPS galactoside donors for controlled glycosylation [
83]. Under NIS–TfOH activation, donor
216 generated intermolecular adduct
218 (74% yield from
217) and intramolecular C-glycoside
219 (50% yield from
216), indicating that the flexible oxonium species favoured a bimolecular reaction with the acceptor, except in the presence of excess donor (
Scheme 16B). After sequential transformations, tetrasaccharide
220 was obtained. Subsequent HF–pyridine-mediated desilylation afforded an alcohol, which underwent TEMPO-catalysed oxidation to the corresponding carboxylic acid product
221. Kulkarni
et al. reported the pioneering total synthesis of the trisaccharide repeating elements of
Pseudomonas chlororaphis subsp.
aureofaciens UCM B-306
via a convergent one-pot assembly of the key trisaccharide framework [
84]. Donor
223 and acceptor
224 were first condensed under NIS–TfOH activation in DCM–Et
2O at −20 ℃, generating a disaccharide intermediate within 1 h. In the same pot, D-rhamnosyl donor
224 was introduced with fresh NIS–TfOH at 0 ℃, affording
α-trisaccharide
225 in 78% overall yield. After TBDPS cleavage, the resulting alcohol was oxidised to its carboxylate form using TEMPO–BAIB and then esterified with MeI and potassium carbonate (K
2CO
3) to yield protected trisaccharide
226 in 64% overall yield. Gao
et al. reported the total synthesis of
Pseudomonas aeruginosa O-antigen repeats containing
α-
N-acetyl-L-galactosaminuronic acid (
α-L-GalpNAcA) units using 6-
O-TBS-L-GalN
3 donors for controlled glycosylation [
85]. After establishing reliable
α-L-GalN
3 coupling conditions, they implemented this stereocontrolled glycosylation strategy in
233 and
234 synthesis. The glycosylation between
227 and
229 mediated by NIS–TfOH in DCM–Et
2O proceeded to yield only
α-linked tetrasaccharide
231 with 81% efficiency. Under the established conditions, coupling acceptor
228 with donor
230 afforded trisaccharide
232 in 81% isolated yield with exclusive
α-anomeric configuration. After removing TBS from
231 and
232, the liberated primary alcohols underwent oxidation
via the optimised TEMPO–BAIB protocol, and subsequent benzyl ester formation yielded products
233 and
234, respectively.