Monosaccharides general reactions

Enzymes turned out to be very helpful in the de novo synthesis of certain monosaccharides. Generally, two chiral carbonyl compounds are combined in an aldol-type reaction. In carbohydrate metabolism, aldolases catalyze the condensation of dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP) and aldehydes to higher sugar components. To date, about thirty aldolases have been classified, but only... 

Amino-2-deoxyaldohexoses, 1-amino-l-deoxyketohexoses, and their V-alkyl and JV-aryl derivatives react with /3-dicarbonyl compounds, giving substituted (tetrahydroxybutyl)pyrroles. It is, most probably, a general reaction of 2-amino-2-deoxyaldoses and 1-amino-l-deoxyketoses which parallels the formation of (polyhydroxyalkyl)furans from nonnitrogenous monosaccharides. In the reactions with amino sugars in alkaline media, simpler pyrrole compounds lacking the tetrahydroxybutyl chain are also obtained. 

Mono- and di saccharides are colourless solids or sjrrupy liquids, which are freely soluble in water, practically insoluble in ether and other organic solvents, and neutral in reaction. Polysaccharides possess similar properties, but are generally insoluble in water because of their high molecular weights. Both poly- and di-saccharides are converted into monosaccharides upon hydrolysis. 

The most general methods for the syntheses of 1,2-difunctional molecules are based on the oxidation of carbon-carbon multiple bonds (p. 117) and the opening of oxiranes by hetero atoms (p. 123fl.). There exist, however, also a few useful reactions in which an a - and a d -synthon or two r -synthons are combined. The classical polar reaction is the addition of cyanide anion to carbonyl groups, which leads to a-hydroxynitriles (cyanohydrins). It is used, for example, in Strecker s synthesis of amino acids and in the homologization of monosaccharides. The ff-hydroxy group of a nitrile can be easily substituted by various nucleophiles, the nitrile can be solvolyzed or reduced. Therefore a large variety of terminal difunctional molecules with one additional carbon atom can be made. Equally versatile are a-methylsulfinyl ketones (H.G. Hauthal, 1971 T. Durst, 1979 O. DeLucchi, 1991), which are available from acid chlorides or esters and the dimsyl anion. Carbanions of these compounds can also be used for the synthesis of 1,4-dicarbonyl compounds (p. 65f.). 

In a similar manner, ketones can react with alcohols to form hemiketals. The analogous intramolecular reaction of a ketose sugar such as fructose yields a cyclic hemiketal (Figure 7.6). The five-membered ring thus formed is reminiscent of furan and is referred to as a furanose. The cyclic pyranose and fura-nose forms are the preferred structures for monosaccharides in aqueous solution. At equilibrium, the linear aldehyde or ketone structure is only a minor component of the mixture (generally much less than 1%). 

The oxidative effects of silver(II) complexes of pyridine carboxylates have been studied for a variety of substrates. With ar-amino acids, a rapid reaction occurred at 70 °C in aqueous solution with bis(pyridyl-2-carboxylato)silver(II). 4 The product was the next lower homologous aldehyde and yields were generally greater than 80%. Other substrates included primary and secondary amines, alcohols, monosaccharide derivatives, alkenes, arylalkanes and arylalkanols.90 Only minor differences were detected in efficiencies when 2-, 3- or 4-mono-, or 2,3-di-carboxylates were used as the oxidant. 

Application of mass spectrometry to stereochemical analysis in the monosaccharide series is limited by the lack of experimental studies, by the absence of a generalizing, theoretical concept based upon modem conformational analysis, and by lack of precise knowledge of the mechanism and stereochemistry of the reactions taking place in the mass spectrometer. The only investigation in which a thorough study has been made of the effect of the stereochemical features of carbohydrates upon their mass spectra is that of Heyns and Scharmann, who measured the mass spectra of a number of permcthylated methyl pentopyranosides, namely, methyl tri-0-methyl-j8-D-ribo-(13), -arabino-(14), -xylo-(lS), and -lyxo-pyrano-sides (16), and of methyl tri-Omethyl-a-D-lyxopyranoside (17). 

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