An Overview of Debenzylation Methods to Obtain 1-Deoxynojirimycin (DNJ)

: A classic reductive amidation/amination (C-N bond formation) approach for DNJ synthesis has been widely practiced due to the availability of low-cost reagents. The key steps for this synthetic route are Swern oxidation, reductive amidation/amination, and debenzylation. A lot of attention has been given to the optimization of these key intermediates apart from debenzylation. This review aims to describe the deprotection advances employing efficient, systematic, and practical protocols for sample preparation and separation by using Pd(OH)2/C, Li, BCl3 and Pd/C as catalysts. The impact of varying reaction parameters such as solvents, acids and temperature for deprotection was emphasized for optimal DNJ synthesis.