gem-Dimethyl 4-pentenyl glycosides: novel glycosylating agents and anomeric protecting groups.

Two classes of gem-dimethyl 4-n-pentenyl glycosides (i.e., C2-series and C3-series) have been prepared and studied in both the glycosylation and hydrolysis manifolds utilizing NBS as the sole stoichiometric activator. These novel glycosylating agents, which are analogues of Fraser-Reid's 4-n-pentenyl glycosyl donors, show increased reactivity in side-by-side studies by virtue of the gem-dimethyl effect.