Intramolecular Carbon Shifts in Carbohydrates Using Solid Lewis Acids (Sn-Beta Zeolites) with Borate Salts in Aqueous Media

Carbohydrate epimerization is an essential technology for the widespread production of rare sugars.  Here we show that Sn-Beta zeolite in the presence of sodium tetraborate catalyses the selective epimerization of aldoses in aqueous media.  This work provides a general method of performing carbohydrate epimerizations that surmounts disadvantages of enzymatic processes.