Abstract
THE acetylation of sugars has hitherto involved the use of acetic anhydride and a catalyst such as sodium acetate1, zinc chloride2, sulphuric acid3 or pyridine4. We have shown that glucose may be acetylated rapidly by means of a mixture of acetic anhydride and acetic acid if a small amount of perchloric acid is added to act as a catalyst5. No external application of heat is necessary to aid the reaction. By pouring the acetylation mixture into water, an almost quantitative yield of α-pentacetyl glucose is produced. This new procedure does not afford crystalline acetyl derivatives of galactose or mannose ; but it works well for the acetylation of maltose, difructofuranose anhydride,α-methyl-glucoside, and polyhydric alcohols such as mannitol, sorbitol, erythritol, arabitol and pentaerythritol.
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NICHOLAS, S., SMITH, F. Acetylation of Sugars. Nature 161, 349 (1948). https://doi.org/10.1038/161349b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/161349b0
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