Photodeprotection of up to Eight Photolabile Protecting Groups from a Single Glycan

Permanent protecting groups are essential for oligosaccharide synthesis. However, the removal of the traditionally used protecting groups is not trivial and demands considerable expertise. Using photolabile protecting groups as permanent protection for glycan can overcome many limitations associated with the traditional oligosaccharide synthesis approach. It is demonstrated here that up to eight photolabile protecting groups can be readily removed from a single glycan using a benchtop LED setup that is very easy to operate. This report suggests that further development of the strategy will offer an attractive alternative for oligosaccharide synthesis.