Carbohydrates as industrial raw materials

Abstract

Carbohydrates are abundantly available in nature and are produced in bulk amounts. Moreover, they are inexpensive and possess a high chemical as well as enantiomeric purity. Combined with the demand for environmentally friendly processes and products sugars reveal to be competent raw materials. In the near future more and more products will be based on these natural sources. This review focuses on sucrose and glucose as raw material. Although these materials are accessible in large amounts, few non-food applications have been developed. Fundamental research of conformational aspects in relation to their functional properties will result in directed development of new pathways to applications. Derivatisation of these carbohydrates enlarges the applicability for many purposes, such as detergents, surfactants, sequestrants and sweeteners. Moreover, new easily obtainable chiral building blocks based on these carbohydrates, can be prepared as intermediates for further syntheses. Several examples are presented of novel sucrose and glucose derivatives. Special attention is given to oxidation reactions from which aldehydes and chiral heterocylces can be obtained.