A new route to L-ascorbic acid (vitamin C)
Abstract
Photochemical bromination of methyl tri-O-acetyl-2,6-anhydro-L-gulonate (2) with N-bromosuccinimide gives methyl tri-O-acetyl-α-L-xylo-hexulopyranosylonate bromide (5) which, on acetoxylation and hydrolysis, provides a further synthetic route to L-ascorbic acid.