# Rapid Stereochemical Analysis of Glycosylations in Flow by Ion Mobility Spectrometry

**Authors:** Jakob B. Wolf, Martin Zühlke, Dominik Weh, Marlene C. S. Dal Colle, Christian Thoben, Toralf Beitz, Klaus Bienert, Dario Cambié, Eric T. Sletten, Martina Delbianco, Stefan Zimmermann, Peter H. Seeberger

PMC · DOI: 10.1002/chem.202500311 · 2025-03-30

## TL;DR

This paper presents a fast method using flow chemistry and ion mobility spectrometry to optimize glycosylation reactions for making complex sugar molecules.

## Contribution

A novel flow chemistry and ion mobility spectrometry approach for rapid glycosylation optimization.

## Key findings

- Flow chemistry enables efficient screening of glycosylation conditions with minimal material and time.
- Ion mobility spectrometry allows rapid analysis of glycosylation mixtures with less method development than liquid chromatography.

## Abstract

Glycans are biologically important molecules that are difficult to synthesize and analyze due to their structural diversity and conformational flexibility. Stereoselective glycosylation reactions are key to achieving high‐yielding glycan syntheses. The stereochemical outcome of glycosylations is significantly influenced by factors such as the choice of activator and leaving group systems, solvent type, temperature, concentration, and stoichiometry. We introduce a flow chemistry approach to efficiently screen glycosylation conditions, using minimal material and time to enable a rapid design‐make‐test‐analyze cycle with precise parameter control for reaction optimization. Ion mobility spectrometry provides rapid separation and analysis of crude glycosylation reaction mixtures that requires less method development than liquid chromatography thus making it a valuable tool for optimizing glycosylation reactions.

Glycans are complex molecules that are challenging to synthesize and analyze due to their diverse structures. Stereoselective glycosylation is crucial for efficient synthesis, influenced by activators, leaving groups, solvents, temperature, and concentration. A flow chemistry approach enables rapid screening and optimization, with ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) offering quick analysis of reaction mixtures. Institute and/or researcher Twitter usernames: @DelbiancoM, @mpiciPotsdam, @peterseeberger
.

## Figures

5 figures with captions in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12057612/full.md

---
Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12057612