2-Nitroglycals: Versatile Building Blocks for the Synthesis of 2-Aminoglycosides

International audienceNitration of glycals gives access to the versatile 2‐nitroglycal derivatives. These key building blocks are used for the synthesis of potent biologically active compounds. This review highlights the chemistry of 2‐nitroglycals and their applications.2‐Deoxy‐2‐amino‐substituted glycosides are ubiquitous compounds in biochemistry and biology. Therefore, the development of new synthetic pathways to access natural and non‐natural derivatives is highly desirable. In that context, 2‐nitroglycals appeared as versatile building blocks for reaching those targets. Since their first introduction almost forty years ago, their synthetic utility has been widely demonstrated and they have been used to access natural and non‐natural compounds with potent biological activity. The aim of this review is to summarize the developed routes to these versatile intermediates as well as their reactivity. The main applications of the chemistry developed with 2‐nitroglycal derivatives is also highlighted in this first review