Synthetic study on carthamin, a natural red pigment, is described. Attempts at the
construction of the key quinol C-glycoside structure by oxidative dearomatization of C-glycosyl phenols were hampered by the competing cleavage of the C1–C2 bond in the
sugar moiety. By employing the 2-O-acetyl protection, the projected reaction proceeded smoothly, giving the desired
products in good to excellent yields. An interesting photochemical stability/instability
of the chalcone geometry in the synthetic compounds was observed.
Keywords
carthamin - quinol
C-glycoside - oxidative dearomatization - chalcone - photoisomerization