Anomeric product mixtures obtained from simple acid-catalyzed Fischer glyco
sidation are conveniently resolved by application of glycosidase hydrolysis
in aqueous medium to provide single diastereomers that are easy to isolate
. Choosing from an array of inexpensive glycosidases, the hydrolytic strate
gy offers a flexible access to unprotected anomerically pure alpha- or beta
-glycopyranosides in good overall yields. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. A
ll rights reserved.