Sugar Sulfonates and Their Behavior

Abstract

SUMMARYNew crystalline bisulfite addition products of mannose and galactose were prepared, namely α‐hydroxy‐galactose sulfonate, and α‐hydroxy‐mannose sulfonate, and their properties studied. In addition, the rates of dissociation of these sulfonates were studied, and further evidence is presented to show that these products have an open‐chain configuration.The evidence obtained supports the theory put forward previously by one of the authors, namely, that sulfur dioxide and sulfates interact only with the open‐chain aldehyde configuration of the sugars when the cyclic forms of the sugars open during their mutarotation. A maltose sulfonate was prepared in which only half of the molecule was capable of interaction with sulfites. This addition product failed to crystallize. It is probable that the same mechanism is of importance in interpreting the browning phenomena during the Maillard reaction.