Carbohydrate chemistry has benefited a lot from the intrinsic reactivity of sulfoxide since it was introduced in glycosylation reactions by Kahne in 1989. Since then, extensive studies have been explored by employing sulfoxide as glycosyl donors and activation reagents in construction of glycosidic bonds. As glycosyl donors, the sulfinyl groups could locate either directly or remotely at anomeric position. This chapter focuses on the establishment and development of sulfoxides as glycosyl donors in glycosylation reactions, with an emphasis on their applications and postulated mechanisms.
Keywords: Carbohydrate; Glycosylation; Sulfoxide.