Sucrose, acid transformation products

In 1895 Dull,9 who was studying inulin and its products of hydrolysis, found that when either fructose or sorbose was treated with an aqueous solution of oxalic acid under pressure, a substance was obtained which had the formula CeHeOa and resembled furfural in its properties. This substance was further investigated by Kiermayer4 who found that fructose and sucrose were the best sources when they were heated with 0.3% aqueous oxalic acid at 120°. It was however only the fructose portion of the sucrose molecule which was transformed since the glucose moiety was recovered unchanged. Kiermayer prepared several derivatives of CeH Os and from its reactions concluded that its structure was probably /3-hydroxy-S-methylfurfural (III). Van Ekenstein and... 

Sucrose is a valuable component of everyone s diet and is utilized by the body to produce energy for every day living. Its many derivatives, however, have found little use either for foods or as chemical building blocks. Since the sucrose molecule has a number of reactive primary and secondary alcohol centers and can be transformed easily into forms or moieties having anhydro, aldehydic, ketonic and acidic properties, it should be an attractive chemical raw material from which a variety of useful products could be obtained. 

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