Acetone → 4-(Hydroxymethyl)phenyl-alpha-D-galactopyranoside tetraacetate

A solution of 1.89 g of the compound 2 in 80 ml of acetone is mixed with an equal volume of a 0.1N aqueous solution of silver nitrate. The mixture is stirred at 25° C. for 2 h, the acetone is then evaporated off under reduced pressure, the remaining aqueous phase is extracted with CH2Cl2 and the extract is washed with water and then dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, filtered and evaporated to dryness under reduced pressure. The dry residue obtained (1.52 g) is then purified by flash chromatography on a column of silica (solvent: hexane/ethyl acetate: 60/40 v/v). The product 4 (0.94 g) is obtained with a yield of 56%.