Synthesis of the pluramycins 1: two designed anthrones as enabling platforms for flexible bis-C-glycosylation.

Two effective tricyclic platforms are reported for the installation of the two constituent sugars, L-vancosamine and D-angolosamine, in a regio- and stereoselective manner for the synthesis of the pluramycin class of bis-C-glycoside antitumor antibiotics. Two complementary protocols are now available that differ in the order in which the two sugar moieties are installed. Sc(OTf)3 was effective as the Lewis acid.