Synthesis, spectral characterization and biological studies of some newly acylated carbohydrate derivatives

Selective 4-methoxybenzoylation of methyl α-D-glucopyranoside (1) using direct acylation method afforded the methyl 2,6-di-O-(4-methoxybenzoyl) α-D-glucopyranoside (2) in an excellent yield. In order to obtain newer products for antimicrobial evaluation studies, the 2,6-di-O-(4-methoxybenzoyl) derivative was further transformed to a series of 3,4-di-O-acyl derivatives (2-12) containing a wide variety of functionalities in a single molecular framework. The structure of the synthesized compounds was confirmed by spectral data and elemental analysis. All synthesized compounds were screened for their in vitro antimicrobial activity against some human and phytopathogens. Some of the obtained compounds exhibited good antimicrobial activity comparable to standard antibiotics like ampicillin and nystatin.