Ionic catch and release oligosaccharide synthesis (ICROS).

A general and efficient chromatography-free ionic-liquid-supported "catch-and-release" strategy for oligosaccharide synthesis (ICROS) is reported. The methodology is compatible with current glycosylation strategies and amenable to protecting group manipulations. A series of β-(1→6) and β-(1→2)-linked glycan structures have been prepared to showcase the versatility of the strategy. © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2011