Synthesis of the Upstream Terminal Disaccharide of the O-Antigenic Polysaccharide of Vibrio cholerae O37

The terminal disaccharide of the O-antigenic polysaccharide of Vibrio cholerae O37, 4-O-methyl-α-D-QuiNAc-(1→4)-α-d-QuiNAc, was synthesized as methyl glycoside involving glycosylation between glycosyl donor ethyl 2-azido-3-O-benzyl-2,6-dideoxy-4-O-methyl-6-iodo-1-thio-α-d-glucopyranoside and glycosyl acceptor methyl 2-azido-3-O-benzyl-2,6-dideoxy-6-iodo-α-d-glucopyranoside. Dehalogenation, global deprotection, and reduction of the azide to amine were effected in one step by catalytic hydrogenation. It was followed by selective N-acetylation to give the desired deprotected disaccharide.