Visible-light-promoted direct desulfurization of glycosyl thiols to access C-glycosides

C-Glycosides are essential for the study of biological processes and the development of carbohydrate-based drugs. Despite the tremendous hurdles, glycochemists have often fantasized about the efficient, highly stereoselective synthesis of C-glycosides with the shortest steps under mild conditions. Herein, we report a desulfurative radical protocol to synthesize C-alkyl glycosides and coumarin C-glycosides under visible-light induced conditions without the need of an extra photocatalyst, in which stable and readily available glycosyl thiols that could be readily obtained from native sugars are activated in situ by pentafluoropyridine. The benefits of this procedure include high stereoselectivity, broad substrate scope, and easy handling. Mechanistic studies indicate that the in situ produced tetrafluoropyridyl S-glycosides form key electron donor–acceptor (EDA) complexes with Hantzsch ester (for C-alkyl glycosides) or Et3N (for coumarin C-glycosides), which, upon irradiation with visible light, trigger a cascade of glycosyl radical processes to access C-glycosides smoothly.