A mild and easy one-pot procedure for the synthesis of 2-deoxysugars from glycals

Glycals can be converted into the corresponding 2-deoxysugars in good yields by treatment with N-iodosuccinimide in CH3CN–H2O 95:5 and removal of the iodide group using Na2S2O4 in DMF/H2O at room temperature. This method is easy to apply, sufficiently mild to allow the survival of acid-sensitive groups such as silyl and trityl ethers and less harmful to the environment than metal-based reactions.