On-water synthesis of glycosyl selenocyanate derivatives and their application in the metal free organocatalytic preparation of nonglycosidic selenium linked pseudodisaccharide derivatives.

Glycosyl selenocyanate derivatives were prepared in very good yield by the treatment of glycosyl halide or triflate derivatives with potassium selenocyanate in water. A variety of selenium linked pseudodisaccharide derivatives were prepared in excellent yield using glycosyl selenocyanates as stable building blocks in the presence of hydrazine hydrate under metal-free organocatalytic reaction conditions.