2,3-Di-O-acetyl-l,5-anhydro-4,6-dideoxy-~-nrabi?~o-hexitol (VI) and 2,3-di-0-acetyl-1,s-anhydro-4,6-dideoxy-I--rylo-hexitol (VII) were prepared by reaction of ~ilethyl magnesium bromide with 3,4-di-0-acetyl-~-xylo-pyra1losyl chloride. An independent synthesis of compounds (VI) and (VII) was also achieved from the 6-0-tosyl derivatives of the 0x0 products from 3,4-di-O-acetyl-~-xylal, thus confirming that the configuration of the secondary hydroxyls of glycals is not inverted during the 0x0 reaction.Part I1 of this series ( I ) showed that application of the 0x0 reaction to 3,4-di-0-acetyl-11-xylal, followed by deacetylation, gave 1,s-anhydro-4-deoxjr-D-arabino-hexitol (I) and 1 ,5-anhydro-4-deoxy-L-xylo-hexitol (I I). The I--configuration of C-5 of (I I) was established by correlation with C-4 of 1,4-anhydro-5-deoxy-D-arabino-hexitol; the C-5 configuration of (I) must therefore be D , a s this anhydrodeoxyhexitol, on cleavage of the 0-glycol bond and reduction, formed a trio1 ether which was the mirror image of that derived from (11). The remaining asymmetric centers of (I) and (11), a t C-2 and C-3, were assuined to be unchanged in configuration from the parent polyol.Von Rudloff et al. (2) carried out the hydrogenolysis of methyl-a-D-glu~op~ranoside a t 210" t o give 1,s-anhydro-4-deoxy-hexitol along with other products. Gorin (3) subsequently sho\\red that the hexitol consisted of two 1,s-anhydro-1-deoxy-D-hexitols. On the bases of coillparative rates of lead tetracetate oxidation and con~parison of observed specific rotations with those calculated from application of the principle of opt-ical superposition, these hexitols were postulated to have structures (I) and (111) (1,;S-anhydro-4-deoxy-D-lyxo-hexitol). The compound t o which they assigned the D-nrabino configuration +19"; tris-p-nitrobenzoate, 111.p. 115-119", [a]D +59") is clearly different from our con~pound (I) ([DID -13"; tris-p-nitrobenzoate, 1n.p. 21;3", [elD -50"). We have accordingly carried out a series of reactions correlating the secondary hydroxyl configurations of (I) and (11) with those of ~-x y l a l , thereby confirming our assignments of structures (I) and (11). Bonner (1) has shown that the hemiacetal halogen of pol yacetylglycos>~l halides undergoes a et eta the tical reaction with Grignard reagent \\.hen the latter is present in sufficient-excess, and has, moreover, provided adecl~~ate experirnental proof to sho\\-that decomposition of the Grignard adduct t o the ester group does not involve rupture of asymmetric bonds, and therefore no change of configuration talres place during reaction with the Grignard reagent. lising the Grignard synthesis ure have been successful in preparing the diacetates of the two 6-deoxy analogues of (I) and (11) For personal use only.