Gold-catalyzed activation of glycosyl donors with alkyne moieties for glycosylation reaction

Glycosylation reaction is an important class of reactions in organic chemistry, and the development of the method contributes to the synthesis of many biologically active compounds containing various glycoside bonds. Recently, several groups have developed novel glycosylation reactions using gold catalysis, which has unique reactivities, such as high 'alkynophilicity'. In this short review, recent reports about gold-catalyzed glycosylation reactions through the activation of alkyne moieties are described.