Disaccharides selective esterification

During his time at Reading, Richardson began his first successful incursions into the selective esterification of many common sugars, but it was at QEC that this work really took off, and the procedure was applied to many disaccharides, often with remarkable results. While space constraints prevent a complete discussion of all Richardson s work on the selective esterification of mono- and disaccharides, some highlights are recorded here. 

In entirely analogous fashion, the selective esterification of various other common disaccharides by other acylating agents was investigated. One notable example is the selective benzoylation of methyl (3-lactoside with benzoyl chloride, which again produced many interesting results that are recorded in a series of papers with Ram... 

Abstract Polyfunctionality of carbohydrates and their low solubility in conventional organic solvents make rather complex their conversion to higher value added chemicals. Therefore, innovative processes are now strongly needed in order to increase the selectivity of these reactions. Here, we report an overview of the different heterogeneously-catalyzed processes described in the literature. In particular, hydrolysis, dehydration, oxidation, esterification, and etherification of carbohydrates are presented. We shall discuss the main structural parameters that need to be controlled and that permit the conversion of carbohydrates to bioproducts with good selectivity. The conversion of monosaccharides and disaccharides over solid catalysts, as well as recent advances in the heterogeneously-catalyzed conversion of cellulose, will be presented. 

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