Carbohydrates as chiral precursors

All the structures of natural products are very beautiful and attractive. Then, I would like only to relate them to my favorite compounds, carbohydrates. In my opinion, carbohydrates are the language of chiral natural products therefore, I have focused on the use of carbohydrates as chiral precursors in organic synthesis. 

Stereoselective hydrogenation. A stereoselective synthesis has been reported of the naturally occurring form of a -multistriatin (5), the aggregation pheromone of the European elm beetle, the vector of Dutch elm disease in North America. The synthesis is another example of the value of carbohydrates as chiral precursors to natural products. In this case, the known epoxide 1, derived from D-glucose, was converted in several steps into 2. The crucial next step required hydrogenation to 3 with the 1,3-diaxial configuration of the two methyl groups. The desired selectivity was attained by use of Wilkinson s catalyst. 

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