(E)-4-Methoxymethoxy-3-methylbut-3-en-2-one 17b reacts with NBS in propan-1-ol in a highly regio- and anti-stereo-selective manner to give (3R*,4R*)-3-bromo-4-methoxymethoxy-3-methyl-4-propoxybutan-2-one 18. Compound 10, a relative of the butenone 17b in which the methoxymethyl group is replaced by the 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-β-D-glucopyranosyl unit, undergoes an analogous bromo(propoxylation) reaction with reasonable facial selectivity to give an 86∶14 mixture of (3R,4R)-3-bromo-3-methyl-4-propoxy-4-(2′,3′,4′,6′-tetra-O-acetyl-β-D-glucopyranosyloxy)butan-2-one 11c and its (3S,4S)-diastereomer 12c. The major bromo(propoxy) derivative, isolable in 57% yield by fractional crystallisation, is assigned the stereostructure 11c by single-crystal X-ray crystallographic analysis. Other primary alcohols and methanol participate in the reaction of compound 10 with NBS, leading predominantly (with selectivities ranging from 75∶25 to 89∶11) to bromo(alkoxy) products of type 11 which are usually separable from their diastereomers of type 12 by fractional crystallisation (in yields ranging from 41 to 64%). A model to account for the role of the 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-β-D-glucopyranosyl unit in the stereoinduction process is proposed.

Related bromo(propoxylation)s are observed with the vinylogous esters 24, 25a and 25b, leading to the isolation of the major products, 28, 30a and 30b (in yields ranging from 39 to 55%), and with the vinylogous carbonates 32a, 32c, 37a and 37b, providing access to the major products 33a, 33c, 38a and 38b (in yields ranging from 52 to 73%).

In the presence of trifluoroacetic acid and ethane-1,2-diol, the bromo(propoxy) derivatives 11c, 28, 30b and 33c undergo transacetalisation to give the ethylene glycol acetals 40a, 40b, 41 and 40c with ees of 94–98%, in yields ranging from 56 to 67%.