Use of n-pentenyl glycosides as precursors to various spacer functionalities

Pent-4-enyl beta-D-glucopyranoside and its peracetylated and perbenzylated derivatives are shown to be excellent substrates for preparation of a wide variety of spacer functionalities. The spacer derivatives so obtained are promising substrates for preparing agents such as neo-glycoconjugates, micelles, and liquid crystalline phases, which are of interest for studying various biological and physiological phenomena of carbohydrates.