Process for preparing 6'-methylspectinomycin and analogs thereof

A process for preparing a compound having the formula

• which comprises reducing a compound having the formula ##STR79## with hydrogen in the presence of a catalyst selected from the group consisting of palladium, barium sulfate, palladium hydroxide, and palladium/barium sulfate;
• wherein R is hydrogen or alkyl and R.sub.1 through R.sub.9 are selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, lower alkyl, lower alkenyl and lower alkynyl with the proviso that one of R.sub.2 and R.sub.3 is always hydrogen and one of R.sub.6 and R.sub.7 is always hydrogen, and B and B.sub.1 are the same or different and are selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, hydroxy, alkoxy, o-lower alkenyl, thio, thio-lower alkyl and thio-lower alkenyl;
• and A is selected from the group consisting of oxygen and sulfur;
• R'.sub.2, R'.sub.3, R'.sub.6 and R'.sub.7 are selected from the group consisting of lower alkyl, lower alkenyl, lower alkynyl, and a blocking group selected from the group consisting of aralkoxycarbonyl, halogenated-alkoxycarbonyl, with the proviso that one of R'.sub.2 and R'.sub.3 is always a blocking group and one of R'.sub.6 and R'.sub.7 is always a blocking group;
• and R.sub.10 is acyl.