II: Radical Reactions of Carbohydrates

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Whenever a structural change is needed in a molecule, an early (if not the first) question is “What is the best way to accomplish this change?” For many years the answer to this question rarely involved a radical reaction (unless polymerization was taking place) because the synthetic potential of radical reactions was viewed in a negative light.¹ As understanding of radical reactions blossomed during the latter part of the 20^th Century, this situation changed, and radical-based processes were seen increasingly not only as synthetically viable possibilities but often as the best choice. Nowhere was the option of conducting a radical reaction more attractive than in carbohydrate chemistry because the combined chemoselectivity, regioselectivity, and stereoselectivity of these reactions was particularly well suited for structural change in polyfunctional molecules.

Contributors

Roger W. Binkley (Cleveland State University) and Edith R. Binkley (Cleveland Heights-University Heights school system)