Unusual Transformations of Mono- and Disaccharide Intermediates in the Synthesis of Oligosaccharides Related to Fragments of the Capsular Polysaccharide of Haemophilus influenzae Type e

In the course of synthesis of oligosaccharides related to fragments of the capsular polysaccharide of Haemophilus influenzae type e, reactions of 2-O-trifluoromethanesulfonate β-D-glucopyranoside derivatives with the azide anion were studied. The reactions gave products of both nucleophilic substitution and rearrangement accompanied by 6-membered pyranose ring contraction to a 5-membered ring through (O5–C2)-cyclization. The formation of these products was interpreted for the first time using quantum mechanical calculations.