Glucitol catalytic oxidation

The catalytic oxidation of D-glucitol in neutral, aqueous solution at 40°... 

A new synthetic approach to D-ribose has recently been made by Sowden.43 In this procedure 4,6-benzylidene-D-glucose (X) was reduced catalytically to 4,6-benzylidene-D-glucitol (XI) which was then oxidized with sodium metaperiodate to 2,4-benzylidene-D-erythrose (XII). Condensation of this latter compound with nitromethane gave a mixture of epimeric, crystalline, substituted C-nitro alcohols, 3,5-benzylidene-1-desoxy-l-nitro-D-arabitol and 3,5-benzylidene-l-desoxy-l-nitro-D-ribitol (XIII). After separation, the appropriate isomer was hydrolyzed to 1-nitro-l-desoxy-D-ribitol (XIV) which, in the form of its sodium salt was decomposed directly to D-ribose (XV), isolated as its benzylphenyl-hydrazone. This synthesis is of interest in that it may be used to obtain D-ribose labeled at carbon 1 with C.14... 

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