New catalytically oxidized polyglucosic units and methods of making same leading to aldehyde groups on the C-6 position of polyglucosic product and new products therefrom

Abstract

A method to selectively oxidize a polyglucose, on the oxygen of the hydroxy groups of the C-6 position of the glucose rings, while substantially maintaining the degree of polymerization of the polyglycosidic units, comprising heating a 6-sulfonyl polyglucose, for instance 6-O-para-(P)-toluene sulfonyl polyglucose with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) in the presence of at least a catalytic amount of a catalyst selected from a member of the group consisting of: symmetrical--collidine, sodium bicarbonate and pyridine, to produce a polyglucose having aldehyde groups on the oxygen of the hydroxyl on the C-6 position of the glucose rings. In a preferred embodiment when pyridine is selected, this method enables use of that reaction to obtain other new products having other functional groups, mainly on the C-6 position of the glucose rings, without having to purify the aldehyde which may serve as intermediate.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.