Short and efficient syntheses of chiral 18-crown-6 ethers 1-4 containing tw
o ethylenoxyethyl-bridged D-xylo and D-ribofuranoside moieties starting fro
m D-xylose are reported. Crown ethers 1, 2 and 4 are C-2-symmetric while 3
is unsymmetrical. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.