NaBH3CN and other systems as substitutes of tin and silicon hydrides in the light or heat-initiated reduction of halosugars: a tunable access to either 2-deoxy sugars or 1,5-anhydro-itols

UV light-promoted reduction of acetobromoglucose by NaBH₃CN in t-BuOH afforded 1,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-2-deoxy-α-d-arabino-hexopyranose in high yield and purity, via a Surzur–Tanner rearrangement, while, with 10 mol % thiophenol added, acetylated 1,5-anhydro-d-glucitol was cleanly obtained. Such tin-free and mild reductions, presumed to proceed via radical pathways, were more efficient with NaBH₃CN compared to NaBH₄ or NaBD₄, and do not occur with acetochloroglucose. Similar reductions to 1,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-2-deoxy-α-d-arabino-hexopyranose were achieved upon heating to 80 °C t-BuOH or CH₃CN solutions of NaBH₃CN and AIBN, but with a lower selectivity due to competing ionic reactions. With other pyranosyl bromides, reductions by NaBH₃CN could be tuned similarly (d-galacto), but some (d-manno, 5-thio-d-xylo) gave mainly or exclusively 1,5-anhydro-itols. Other conditions, or reagents promoting SET process, afforded also reduced products, but with lower rates or selectivities. Primary iodides were reduced readily with NaBH₃CN under UV light.