Bothsulphonate groups in methyl 2,3-anhydro-4,6-di-O-methylsulphonyl-5-thio-~-~allopyranoside (5) readily undergo displacement reactions. The 4-sulphonate is the more reactive and is displaced with retention of configuration. Participation by the ring sulphur atom and formation of intermediate episulphonium ions is proposed in each displacement. There is evidence to suggest that ring expansion to give methyl 2,3-anhydro-4,5-di-O-methyl-6-thio-P-~taloseptanoside (1 9) may occur in the reaction of (5) with methanol. Methyl 4,6-O-isopropylidene-2 -0met h ylsu phony I -5-t h io-3 -0 -p -to1 ylsu I p hony Itc-D -g I ucopyranoside (20) is u nreactive u nti I the acetal group is removed, when ring contraction to give 2,5-dideoxy-2,5-epithio-3-O-ptoly lsu I p hony I -Dman nose d imet hyl aceta I (23) occurs. Methyl 3,4 -0isopropy I idene -2,6d i -0methylsulphonyl-5-thio-a-o-altropyranoside (30) was too reactive to be isolated but appeared to react with methanol and chloride ions to give, via ring contraction, the 6-substituted 2,5-dideoxy-2,5-epithio-3,4-0-isopropylidene-~-allose dimethyl acetal derivatives (32) and (36), and, via ring contraction and ring expansion, 2,6-dideoxy-2,6 -epithio-3,4-0isopropylidene-5-0-methyl-Ltalose dimethyl acetal (35).In an earlier paper2 in this series it was shown that methyl 5-thiopentopyranoside 2or 4-sulphonate esters readily underwent nucleophilic displacement reactions either with retention of configuration or with ring contraction. It was suggested that these reactions proceeded uia intermediate episulphonium ions formed by neighbouring group participation from the ring sulphur atom (Schemes 1 and 2). Sulphonate esters at C-3 did not show any unusual reactivity; apparently the cyclic sulphonium ions that would be formed by sulphur participation are too strained. We have now extended these studies to sulphonate esters of some methyl 5-thiohexopyranosides. A sulphonate at C-6 is also a p-ester with respect to the ring sulphur and displacement reactions might be expected to proceed as shown in Scheme 3 to give either pyranoside or septanoside products. I c 8 M e Nui OMe Scheme 1. Ms = MeS(O),n n+ I Nu c D O M e + Nut-( b ) ( a ) OMe Scheme 2.I Nuc OMe O o M e + Scheme 3.The diol (1) was readily available from mild hydrolysis of methyl 2,3-anhydro-4,6-O-isopropylidene-5-thio-a-~-allo-pyran0side.j Methylsulphonylation of the diol (1) gave a crystalline disulphonate (9, which decomposed within hours when kept at room temperature. This disulphonate not only offered the opportunity of examining the behaviour of a 6sulphonate but also of comparing such a sulphonate with a 4-sulphonate in the same molecule. The behaviour of compound (5) with a variety of nucleophiles was examined.When compound (5) was left overnight in cold methanol containing sodium benzoate a good yield of a crystalline monobenzoate monomethanesulphonate (A) was obtained. When this product was heated with methanolic sodium benzoate it afforded the same crystalline dibenzoate (3) as could be obtained by direct benzoylation...