Nucleophilic opening of epoxyazepanes: expanding the family of polyhydroxyazepane-based glycosidase inhibitors.

A range of new tetra- and pentahydroxylated seven-membered iminoalditols has been efficiently synthesized from epoxyazepane precursors via nucleophilic opening with hydride or oxygenated species and subsequent hydrogenolysis. One tetrahydroxylated azepane, a ring homologue of deoxymannojirimycin, displays a selective and fairly good inhibition of alpha-L-fucosidase.