Abstract: 1-Deoxynojirimycin (1) is a natural alkaloid with several biological activities; the analog N-butyl-1-deoxynojirimycin (4), for example has shown potent anti HIV-1 and HIV-2 activity without cytotoxicity. As part of a program to synthesize compounds with biological activity against retroviruses, we developed an efficient route for the preparation of 1 and 4 employing as raw material glucose and others inexpensive reagents. Key words: alkaloids ...