Unsaturated thiodisaccharides are obtained in good yields by alkylation of
ethyl alpha-Q-Delta(2)-glycosides, having a leaving group at C-4, with vari
ous thiocarbohydrates in the presence of a catalytic amount of palladium(0)
. The reaction is regio- and stereospecific for the alpha-erythro enoside,
and only stereospecific in the case of the alpha-threo enoside, alkylation
occurring at C-4 and C-2. In all cases, only the beta-anomer is formed.