Phosphotungstic acid as a novel acidic catalyst for carbohydrate protection and glycosylation.

This work demonstrates the utilization of phosphotungstic acid (PTA) as a novel acidic catalyst for carbohydrate reactions, such as per- O -acetylation, regioselective O -4,6 benzylidene acetal formation, regioselective O -4 ring-opening, and glycosylation. These reactions are basic and salient during the synthesis of carbohydrate-based bioactive oligomers. Phosphotungstic acid's high acidity and eco-friendly character make it a tempting alternative to corrosive homogeneous acids. The various homogenous acid catalysts were replaced by the phosphotungstic acid solely for different carbohydrate reactions. It can be widely used as a catalyst for organic reactions as it is thermally stable and easy to handle. In our work, the reactions are operated smoothly under ambient conditions; the temperature varies from 0 °C to room temperature. Good to excellent yields were obtained in all four kinds of reactions.