Five 1-O-methyl-4,6-O-ben- zylidene derivatives of the monosac- charides d-glucose, d-galactose, and d- mannose were synthesized. The b-iso- mer of the d-glucose derivative was sparingly soluble in most organic sol- vents, whereas the a-isomer of the d- mannose derivative was soluble in many organic solvents. The a-isomer of the d- glucose derivative and the a- and b- isomers of the d-galactose derivative acted as versatile gelators of various organic solvents ; this indicates that sac- charides are useful as potential tem- plates for the molecular design of chiral gelators.
