Methylation, of sucrose

The value of methylation studies in structural determination of carbohydrates is well known. Methylation of sucrose has generally been achieved by the use of dimethyl sulfate-sodium hydroxide,34,35 methyl iodide-silver oxide-acetone,20 sodium hydride-methyl io-dide-N,N-dimethylformamide,35 or diazomethane-boron trifluoride etherate.36,37 The last method (already applied to monosaccharides38,39) has been found particularly useful for sucrose, because it proceeds without concomitant migration of acyl groups. The reaction of 2,3,6,T,3, 4, 6 -hepta-0-acetylsucrose (21) and 2,3,4,6,1, 3, 4 -hepta-O-acetylsucrose (22) with diazomethane in dichloromethane in the presence of a catalytic proportion of boron trifluoride etherate for 0.5 h at —5° gave the corresponding 4-methyl (23) and 6 -methyl (24)... 

Methyl Ethers. Methylation of sucrose is generally conducted under basic conditions. Etherification occurs initially at the most acidic hydroxyl groups, HO-2, HO-T, and HO-3f, followed by the least hindered groups, HO-6 and HO-6. Several reagents have found use in the methylation of sucrose, including dimethyl sulfate—sodium hydroxide (18,19), methyl iodide—silver oxide—acetone, methyl iodide—sodium hydride in N, N- dimethyl form amide (DMF), and diazomethane—boron trifluoride etherate (20). The last reagent is particularly useful for compounds where mild conditions are necessary to prevent acyl migration (20). 

Complete methylation of sucrose by dimethyl sulfate in ethereal solution has been described by Bredereck et al.699... 

The role of the dimsyl anion (MeSOCH2 ) in the Hakamori methylation procedure has been questioned, hydroxide and hydride anions being shown to be the effective bases. An alternative procedure employing solid hydroxides as bases (1.e. NaOH or KOH -DMSO-Mel) has thus been developed and demonstrated for the per-methylation of sucrose and eleven reducing sugars. It proved to... 

Methylation of sucrose gives an octamethyl derivative that, on hydrolysis, gives 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-methyl-D-glucose and 1,3,4,6-tetra-O-methyl-D-fructose. The identities of these two products demonstrate that the glucose portion is a pyranoside and that the fructose portion is 3. fiuranoside. 

Acetates. Because of the significant interest in selective acetylation reactions of sucrose, the need for a convenient and unambiguous method of identification has been recognized (34,35). The position of an acetyl group in a partially acetylated sucrose derivative can be ascertained by comparison of its H-nmr acetyl methyl proton resonances after per-deuterioacetylation with those of the assigned octaacetate spectmm. The synthesis of partially acetylated sucroses has generally been achieved either by way of selectively protected derivatives such as trityl ethers and cychc acetals or by direct selective acetylation and deacetylation reactions. 

Structurally related to saccharin are the oxathiazinone dioxides (104). Clauss and coworkers synthesized a series of these compounds, and demonstrated that they possess intense sweetness. Acesulfame-K, the potassium salt of 3,4-dihydro-6-methyl-l,2,3-oxathiazin-4-one 2,2-dioxide (104) has a sweetness intensity 130 times that of sucrose. 

To distinguish between these possibilities, Birch and Mylvaganam studied the effect of the sweetness of sucrose and the bitter-sweetness of methyl a-D-mannopyranoside on the bitterness of quinine sulfate, and the effect of the bitterness of quinine sulfate and methyl a-D-mannopyranoside on the sweetness of sucrose. A significantly diminished sweetness-response... 

The transesterification of sucrose has been performed with a fatty acid ester of a volatile alcohol in the presence of an alkaline catalyst in a dipolar, aprotic solvent.142 The reaction of sucrose (293 mmoles) with methyl dodecanoate (293 mmoles) in A/,N-dimethylformamide in the presence of sodium methoxide in a pressure bomb for 8 h at 130° gave, after solvent extraction and crystallization, sucrose mono(dodecanoate) (m.p. 72-80° [a]D+52°) in 50% yield.142 Commercialization of these sucrose esters has so far been limited, in part because of the use of expensive solvents, and, in part, because solvent remaining in the product makes it unsuitable for use as a food emulsifier. In view of this situation, methods have been developed in which the use of toxic and expensive solvents has been avoided. 

The indifference of /3-fructofuranosidase towards substitution in the afructon part of sucrose is contrasted by its extreme sensitivity towards any change in the structure and configuration of the fructon. Change from the furanose to the pyranose ring structure in methyl /3-D-fructoside is incompatible with the action of /3-fructofuranosidase.60... 

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