Abstract
The identification of naturally methylated neutral monosaccharides in acid hydrolysates as their alditol acetates requires appropriate standards. The availability of such standards also facilitates the analysis of complex mixtures of partially methylated alditol acetates (PMAAs) which appear upon methylation analysis of polysaccharides.
For this purpose the alditols of eight common monosaccharides have been partially methylated using the Haworth methylation. The resulting mixtures of partially methylated alditols have been acetylated and analysed by capillary gas chromatography, gas chromatography—electron impact mass spectrometry and gas chromatography—chemical ionization mass spectrometry.
Identification of the obtained PMAAs is further elaborated by reduction of the aldoses with sodium borodeuteride and the use of partially methylated aldoses or disaccharides.