The synthesis, separation, and identification of the methyl ethers of arabinose and their derivatives

Abstract

A study has been made of various methods available for the identification and separation of the methyl ethers of arabinose. Gas–liquid partition chromatography has been used to separate the acetylated glycosides and the acetylated alditols of the methyl ethers of arabinose. All of the methyl ethers of arabinopyranose and arabinofuranose have been separated by paper chromatography. Several spray reagents have been used to distinguish between those methyl ethers with similar rates of movement. Thin-layer chromatography has been used to separate the methyl glycosides, acetylated methyl glycosides, and glycitols of the methyl ethers of arabinose, as well as the methyl ethers of the reducing sugar. The optical rotations of the reducing sugars and of the methyl glycosides of the methyl ethers of arabinose provide information about the ring form and, in the case of the glycosides, about the anomer present. The rotations of the acetylated and unacetylated O-methyl arabinitols aid in the determination of the position of the methyl substitutents. In connection with this study, all of the mono-O-methyl and tri-O-methyl, and most of the di-O-methyl ethers of arabinose have been synthesized. New syntheses have been devised for 4-O-methyl and 2,3-di-O-methyl arabinose, and the other sugars have been synthesized by known or partially revised syntheses. During this work, previously unreported derivatives of these sugars have been prepared.