Sugars as Chiral Auxiliaries for the Synthesis of Enantiomerically Pure Compounds

The large number of functional groups and stereogenic centers was the main reason why sugar and sugar derivatives were hardly ever employed as chiral auxiliaries in asymmetric syntheses. Recent publications on highly enantioselective reactions performed with sugar auxiliaries (alkylations, aldol additions, amino acid syntheses, cyclopropanations, and Diels–Alder reactions) show that this reticence was unjustified. What is more, these compounds are, as a rule, easily accessible and inexpensive. They are thus predestined for a much wider use in asymmetric synthesis.