文档介绍：PREFACE
This 58th volume of Advances continues the sustained theme of definitive
articles written by leaders in the field, prehensive coverage
of mature fields or selective treatment of evolving areas. In contrast to the
strong emphasis on glycoconjugates and biological aspects in the preceding
Volume 57, the contents of the present issue reflect mainly structural and
synthetic aspects of simpler sugars.
Methodology for glycosidic coupling continues to pose challenges for the
synthetic chemist, and the synthesis of defined haride sequences
remains a problem requiring great skill and experimental versatility. In
contrast to the effective and widely available automated procedures based
on solid-support technology for synthesis of oligopeptides and oligonucleo-
tides, comparable procedures in the carbohydrate field have been lacking,
on account of plexities of linkage position, anomeric orientation, and
protecting-group manipulation. Among the investigators addressing this
problem, Seeberger (Cambridge, Massachusetts) and his coworkers Plante
and i have made significant strides in developing the functional
solid-phase automated synthesizer presented here. It provides practical feasi-
bility for synthesis of selected haride sequences, although further
research to permit general application for other linkage patterns clearly
remains necessary.
Although sugar derivatives containing unsaturated functionality were
introduced back in Emil Fischer’s time, and the rather inappropriate name
‘‘glycal’’ became a term that persists to this day, much of their chemistry
remained confusing until the advent of NMR spectroscopy. Early surveys in
Volumes 7 and 9 of this series, by Freudenberg and Blair respectively, were
followed notably by Ferrier’s landmark article in Volume 20, which demon-
strated the exceptional versatility of unsaturated sugars in synthesis. Ferrier
augmented his article soon afterwards, in Volume 24. The innovative leader-
ship of F