Cyanuric chloride/sodium borohydride: a new reagent combination for reductive opening of 4,6-benzylidene acetals of carbohydrates to primary alcohols.

In the first such example, NaBH4 in combination with cyanuric chloride (TCT) has been used to obtain 6-hydroxy-4-benzyl ether derivatives from 4,6-benzylidene acetals of carbohydrates. The nature of hydride donor determines the regioselectivity of acetal opening. High regioselectivity, scope for using a broad range of substrates, functional group tolerance, mild reaction conditions, easy handling process, inexpensive reagents and wide application mark the benefits of the newly developed reagent system.