Inososes from cyclitols

The reduction of inososes is a method much used for the preparation of new cyclitols. Catalytic hydrogenation in neutral, aqueous solution yields predominantly the isomer with the newly formed hydroxyl group in the axial position,210 whereas the product from a reduction by sodium amalgam usually contains considerable quantities of both the possible epimers.211 Recently, sodium borohydride has been used for reducing inososes62,68 211 in some cases, but not in others, it provides more of the equatorial isomer than does sodium amalgam. 

The microbial oxidation of benzene and its derivatives using Pseudomonas putida have been used in several cyclitol syntheses. These include the preparation of conduritol D and the deuterated compound 99", D-cA/ro-inositol and D-cAiro-3-inosose for which the key step involves a one pot oxidation-protection to an epoxy-acetonide derivative," " and racemic quebrachitol." Also reported are the syntheses of (+)-D-chrro-inositol, a//o-inositol, muco-inositol and neo-inositol from a halogenated conduritol epoxide." ... 

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