Complex compounds carbohydrate-alkali metal

Complexing of polyhydroxy compounds with alkali-metal hydroxides and acetates in nonaqueous media is a fairly general phenomenon. In addition, several carbohydrates have long been known to form crystalline addition compounds with sodium and calcium salts. Recently, Mills has provided evidence for the existence, in dilute aqueous solutions, of complexes of neutral polyhydroxy compounds with cations of the alkali metals and alkaline-earth metals. When subjected to paper electrophoresis in solutions containing the metal acetates, many compounds migrated toward the cathode (for examples, see Table I). Except for m-inositol. 

The general structure of alkali metal alcoholates of polyhydroxy compounds is probably very similar to those proposed by Martell and Calvin1 for the alkali metal chelates of o-salicylaldehyde (see Figs. 9 and 10). 148 1M>IM Unfortunately, because of the highly amorphous nature of nearly all pf the alcoholates and adducts formed by the interaction of metal hydroxides with carbohydrates, x-ray diffraction studies have failed to furnish information regarding the precise location of the metal in these complexes. 

---