Carbohydrate chemistry has attracted a lot of attention in the recent years due to the significance of carbohydrates in bio-chemical processes. An important carbohydrate transformation is the epimerization reaction, which involves the transformation of a carbohydrate to its chiral counterpart, the epimer. Epimerization is widely used for a number of processes including the production of rare sugars from more common ones and the production of pharmaceutical drugs. In this contribution, we report on the high activity and selectivity of polyoxometalates (POM) in catalyzing the epimerization of aldoses. Near-equilibrium conversions and selectivities were obtained within the first hour of operation under aqueous conditions at relatively low temperatures. Characterization of the POM catalysts using XRD and FTIR studies before and after reaction showed no evidence of their decomposition. We have also conducted controlled isotope labeling experiments along with spectroscopic studies to elucidate the mechanism that governs the epimerization of aldoses using POMs.

Polyoxometalates as catalysts for conversion of carbohydrates

248th National Meeting (2014)

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