Sucrose chemistry: Fast and Efficient Microwave-Assisted Protocols for the Generation of Sucrose-Containing Monomer Libraries

This chapter provides a number of mild and effective protocols for the synthesis of diverse monomeric carbohydrate building blocks. The utilization of microwave irradiation as a more efficient mode of heating leading to shorter reaction periods was evaluated. It has been shown that microwave radiation efficiently promoted the reactions and allowed a great reduction in reaction times and at the same time improving or maintaining the good yields achieved by conventional conditions. In the case of sucrose functionalization the elimination of solvent is not recommended as it led to significantly lower yields because of overheating. Microwave-assisted carbohydrate chemistry is, at the present time, experiencing considerable growth and has the potential to greatly improve the image of carbohydrate chemistry. Short reaction times and large rate enhancements as compared to conventional methods are observed, notably in reactions using mild reagents or involving steric hindrance. Yields are comparable or better than when using conventional methods, and sometimes much higher in reactions where the short reaction time prevents decomposition. The short reaction times in combination with easy reproducibility and workup, make these methods suitable for automation.