Synthesis and X-ray crystal and solution structures of 2,5-anhydro-3,4-O-(1,2-ethanediyl)-D-mannitol: a locked 4T3 furanose conformer.

2,5-Anhydro-3,4-O-(1,2-ethanediyl)-D-mannitol (1) was prepared from 2,5-anhydro-D-mannitol (2) in three steps. The fused ring system was introduced by a phase-transfer alkylation using 1,2-dibromoethane. Its conformation in solution was determined by NMR studies at 500 MHz. Variable-temperature studies showed no lineshape change from 25 to 80 degrees in D2O. The data indicate that the five-membered ring is locked by the trans-fused six-membered 1,4-dioxane ring into a twist 4T3 conformation. A single-crystal X-ray study was carried out. The crystals are orthorhombic, C222(1), a = 4.7252 (6), b = 14.0364 (12), c = 13.268 (2) A, Z = 4, with R = 0.032 for 894 observations. The molecule lies upon a crystallographic two-fold axis, and thus the five-membered ring exists in a perfect 4T3 conformation with a pseudorotation angle of 0 degree and amplitude of 47.2 degrees, in agreement with the NMR results. We have shown earlier that, among twenty possible conformers, phosphofructokinase acts specifically on the 4T3 conformer of the beta anomer of D-fructose 6-phosphate.