Applications of Barbier Type Reactions in Carbohydrate Chemistry

Stereocontrolled formation of C–C bonds in polyfunctionalized carbohydrate derivatives, which are crucial synthetic intermediates, is sometimes very challenging. The application of low valent organometallic reagents for C–C bond formation in carbohydrate chemistry has recently attracted a great deal of attention, largely due to the mild reaction conditions required. We present here an overview of the application of different reductive C–C bond forming reactions in carbohydrate chemistry. Keywords: C–C bond formation, barbier, reformatsky, pinacol coupling, single electron transfer (SET), carbohydrates