Iminosugar C-Nitromethyl Glycosides and Divergent Synthesis of Bicyclic Iminosugars

An efficient one-pot method for the stereoselective synthesis of novel iminosugar C-nitromethyl glycosides is described. This new class of iminosugar glycosides has versatile nitromethyl functionality whose utility was further demonstrated in the single-step synthesis of bicyclic iminosugars. Under reagent-free conditions, the N-allyl-C-nitromethyl glycosides resulted in intramolecular cyclization to iminosugar-oximes, whereas under SET oxidation, they furnished cyclopropane-fused iminosugars. The N-propargyl-C-nitromethyl glycosides underwent an unprecedented ketenimine–acrylamidine–Michael addition cascade reaction to give bicyclic amidines.