ChemInform Abstract: Concise Chemical Synthesis of β-Homonojirimycin and Related Compounds

β-Homonojirimycin 2 was prepared in 27% overall yield from tetra-O-benzyl-d-glucono-1,5-lactone by way of the double reductive amination of a 2,6-heptodiulose (7). This synthetic approach provided also access to the 1,N-anhydro derivative of 2, compound 3. Aziridines of this type are potential inactivators of glycosidases.