Arabinose diethyl dithioacetal, oxidation

MacDonald and H. O. L. Fischer372 oxidized D-glucose diethyl dithioacetal pentaacetate (24) and its D-manno isomer with mono-peroxyphthalic acid in ether, isolating not the epimeric disulfones but a common product, to which they assigned the structure 3,4,5,6-tetra- O - acetyl -1,2- dideoxy-1,1 -bis (ethylsulfonyl)-D-arabtno-hex-1-enitol (176). Ammonolysis of 176 and reacetylation afforded 177, which was also prepared by oxidation of 2-acetamido-3,4,5,6-tetra-0-acetyl-2-deoxy-D-glucose diethyl dithioacetal, whereas the action of hydrazine in methanol on 176 produced a retroaldol reaction (and saponification) affording D-arabinose (179, 40% yield) and bis(ethyl-sulfonyl)methane (178). The latter reaction accords with earlier ob-... 

D-Arabinose 88 l-Deoxy-l,l-bis(ethylsulfonyl)-D-mannitol (1 g) (prepared by oxidation of D-mannose diethyl dithioacetal with peroxypropionic acid in dioxan) is made into a slurry with water (10 ml), and then concentrated aqueous ammonia solution (1 drop) is added. The sulfone dissolves rapidly and after 30 min the precipitated diethyl methylene disulfone is filtered off. The filtrate is extracted four times with chloroform (10-ml portions), and the aqueous phase is evaporated in a vacuum at 40°. The residue is treated with hot methanol (5 ml) and after being kept for 24 h at 4° affords / -D-arabinose (0.32 g, 86%), [a]D20 —102° (c 3.5 at equilibrium in water). 

The yield of 5-deoxy-L-arabinose obtained by degradation of L-rhamnose diethyl dithioacetal was significantly improved when oxidation to the intermediate bis-sulphone was carried out with 3-chloroperbenzoic acid in anhydrous p-dioxan. The reactions outlined in Scheme 52 were then used to convert... 

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