Metal-mediated allylation of enzymatically oxidized methyl alpha-D-galactopyranoside

The C-6 unit of methyl alpha-D-galactopyranoside was selectively modified by combining enzymatic oxidation with an indium-mediated allylation reaction The Barbier-Grignard type reaction where a carbonyl group reacts with an allyl halide proceeds in aqueous solution even with water as the only solvent thus carbohydrates can be modified without the need for drying or protection-deprotection steps The corresponding homoallyl alcohols are produced in high yields of >90% in the reactions with allyl bromide and cinnamyl chloride The main products were Isolated and characterized by GC-MS and NMR spectroscopy (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd All rights reserved