Study of cyclization of diphenylacetals derived from L-rhamnose and L-fucose: A theoretical approach

This work aimed to study the configuration of two mono-tosyl- diphenylacetals, highly flexible molecules derived from L-ramnose and L-fucose, by means of the Monte Carlo conformational search method. The energy of the conformers established by this method and calculated by using the molecular mechanics force field (MMFF) permitted to establish a first conformational space. The geometry of the conformers was optimized by using the semi-empirical AM1 and the density functional B3LYP/DGDZVP methods. We were able to explain the different final products recovered from the reaction of the diphenylacetals derived from L-rhamnose and L-fucose with tosyl chloride, in a pyridine solution. On the other hand, obtaining cyclical compounds by intramolecular cyclization could be an attractive pathway for the synthesis of furanosides.