Authentic standards for the reductive cleavage method. Proton-nuclear magnetic resonance spectra, electron-ionization mass spectra, and gas chromatography retention indices

This thesis describes an efficient manner of synthesizing partially methylated anhydroalditol acetate or benzoate standards for the reductive cleavage method of glycosyl-linkage analysis. Also described is the use of retention indices to report gas chromatographic retention data. The ;All possible positional isomers of methylated and acetylated or benzoylated anhydroalditols or methyl glycosides of a given configuration may be generated simultaneously by partial methylation and subsequent in situ benzoylation. The individual isomers are obtained in pure form by high-performance liquid chromatography and identified by ;Retention data were reported as linear temperature programmed gas chromatography retention indices obtained on three different capillary column stationary phases; 50 percent methyl - 50 percent phenyl polysiloxane (DB-17), 5 percent phenyl - 95 percent methyl polysiloxane (DB-5), and 50 percent methyl - 50 percent 3,3,3-tri-fluoropropyl polysiloxane (RTx-200). Compared to reporting retention data as relative retention times, it was found that the retention index system was much more reliable, accurate and precise. It was shown that all of the aforementioned standards could be unambiguously identified by their retention indices on these three columns.