Mannitol selective hydrolysis

The alcoholysis of the cyclic phosphate of catechol by alditols can lead, after acid hydrolysis of intermediate, cyclic phosphates, to the selective formation of phosphoric esters of the primary hydroxyl groups in the alditols. Thus, erythritol and D-mannitol afford, after chromatographic purification of the reaction products, their 1-phosphates in yields of 31 and 38%, respectively.217 The method was used to convert riboflavine into riboflavine 5 -phosphate.218 1-Deoxy-1-fluoro-L-glycerol has been converted into the 3-(dibenzyl phosphate) in 54% yield by selective reaction with dibenzyl phosphorochloridate. 219... 

There are several examples of one-pot reactions with bifunctional catalysts. Thus, using a bifunctional Ru/HY catalyst, water solutions of corn starch (25 wt.%) have been hydrolyzed on acidic sites of the Y-type zeolite, and glucose formed transiently was hydrogenated on ruthenium to a mixture of sorbitol (96%), mannitol (1%), and xylitol (2%) [68]. Similarly a one-pot process for the hydrolysis and hydrogenation of inulin to sorbitol and mannitol has been achieved with Ru/C catalysts where the carbon support was preoxidized to generate acidic sites [69]. Ribeiro and Schuchardt [70] have succeeded in converting fructose into furan-2,5-dicarboxylic acid with 99% selectivity at 72% conversion in a one-pot reaction... 

The next few steps including the vital palladium-catalysed cyclisation revealed a problem in this synthesis and it is continued in the workbook. An improved synthesis by Trost uses two alkynes in the cyclisation and the problems disappear. This starts from protected mannitol 106 and the oxidative cleavage is followed at once by imine formation 193. Addition of the lithium derivative 194 goes with good selectivity (13 1 in favour of 195). Adjustment of protecting groups and hydrolysis of the acetal leads to the key intermediate37 197. 

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