References
         <A NAME="RG11902ST-1">1</A> 
            
            Collins PM. 
            
            Ferrier RJ. 
            
            Monosaccharides: 
               Their Chemistry and Their Roles in Natural Products
             
            John 
            Wiley and Sons; 
            Chichester: 
            1996. 
            p.189 
            
            
         <A NAME="RG11902ST-2">2</A> 
            
            Jegou E. 
            
            Cleophax J. 
            
            Leboul J. 
            
            Gero SD. 
            Carbohydr. Res. 
            1975, 
            45: 
            323 
            
            
         <A NAME="RG11902ST-3">3</A> 
            
            Apostolopoulos CD. 
            
            Couladouros EA. 
            
            Georgiadis MP. 
            Liebigs Ann. Chem. 
            1994, 
            781 
            
            
         <A NAME="RG11902ST-4">4</A> 
            
            Couladouros EA. 
            
            Constantinou-Kokotou V. 
            
            Georgiadis MP. 
            
            Kokotos G. 
            Carbohydr. 
            Res. 
            1994, 
            254: 
            317 
            
            
         <A NAME="RG11902ST-5">5</A> 
            
            Baer HH. 
            
            Neilson T. 
            J. Org. Chem. 
            1967, 
            32: 
            1068 
            
            
         <A NAME="RG11902ST-6">6</A> 
            
            Lichtenthaler FW. 
            
            Vors P. 
            
            Mayer N. 
            Angew. 
            Chem., Int. Ed. Engl. 
            1969, 
            8: 
            211 
            
            
         <A NAME="RG11902ST-7">7</A> 
            
            Nakagawa T. 
            
            Sakakibara T. 
            
            Kumazawa S. 
            Tetrahedron Lett. 
            1970, 
            1645 
            
            
         <A NAME="RG11902ST-8">8</A> 
            
            Rajabalee FJ.-M. 
            Carbohydr. 
            Res. 
            1973, 
            26: 
            219 
            
            
         <A NAME="RG11902ST-9">9</A> 
            
            Paulsen H. 
            
            Greve W. 
            Chem. Ber. 
            1974, 
            107: 
            3013 
            
            
         <A NAME="RG11902ST-10">10</A> 
            
            Sakakibara T. 
            
            Tachimori Y. 
            
            Sudoh R. 
            Tetrahedron 
            1984, 
            40: 
            1533 
            
            
         <A NAME="RG11902ST-11">11</A> 
            
            Sakakibara T. 
            
            Takai I. 
            
            Yamamoto A. 
            
            Tachimori Y. 
            
            Sudoh R. 
            
            Ishido Y. 
            Carbohydr. Res. 
            1987, 
            169: 
            189 
            
            
         <A NAME="RG11902ST-12">12</A> 
            
            Seta A. 
            
            Tokuda K. 
            
            Kaiwa M. 
            
            Sakakibara T. 
            Carbohydr. Res. 
            1996, 
            281: 
            129 
            
            
         <A NAME="RG11902ST-13">13</A> 
            
            Bera S. 
            
            Sakthivel K. 
            
            Langley GJ. 
            
            Pathak T. 
            Tetrahedron 
            1995, 
            51: 
            7857 
            
            
         <A NAME="RG11902ST-14">14</A> 
            
            Bera S. 
            
            Langley GJ. 
            
            Pathak T. 
            J. 
            Org. Chem. 
            1998, 
            63: 
            1754 
            
            
         <A NAME="RG11902ST-15">15</A> 
            
            Simpkins NS. 
            
            Sulphones in Organic Synthesis
             
            1st 
            Ed.: 
            Pergamon Press; 
            Oxford: 
            1993. 
            p.183 
            
            
         <A NAME="RG11902ST-16A">16a</A> 
            
            Ravindran B. 
            
            Sakthivel K. 
            
            Suresh CG. 
            
            Pathak T. 
            J. Org. 
            Chem. 
            2000, 
            65: 
            2637 
            
            
         <A NAME="RG11902ST-16B">16b</A> 
            
            Suresh CG. 
            
            Ravindran B. 
            
            Rao KN. 
            
            Pathak T. 
            Acta 
            Cryst., Sect. C  
            2000, 
            C56: 
            1030 
            
            
         <A NAME="RG11902ST-17A">17a</A> 
            
            Ravindran B. 
            
            Deshpande SG. 
            
            Pathak T. 
            Tetrahedron 
            2001, 
            57: 
            1093 
            
            
         <A NAME="RG11902ST-17B">17b</A> 
            
            Ravindran B. 
            
            Pathak T. 
            Ind. J. Chem. B 
            2001, 
            40: 
            1114 
            
            
         <A NAME="RG11902ST-18">18</A> 
            
            Yamashita A. 
            
            Rosowsky A. 
            J. Org. Chem. 
            1976, 
            41: 
            3422 
            
            
         <A NAME="RG11902ST-19">19</A> 
            
            Collins PM. 
            
            Ferrier RJ. 
            
            Monosaccharides: 
               Their Chemistry and Their Roles in Natural Products
             
            John 
            Wiley and Sons; 
            Chichester: 
            1996. 
            p.63 
            
            
         <A NAME="RG11902ST-20">20</A> 
            
            Evans ME. 
            
            Angyal SJ. 
            Carbohydr. Res. 
            1972, 
            25: 
            43 
            
            
         <A NAME="RG11902ST-21">21</A> Methanolysis of 1,2:5,6-di-O-isopropylidene-α-d-allofuranose 
            in the presence of acid produced more than six products, see:  
            Williams JM. 
            Carbohydr. Res. 
            1970, 
            13: 
            281 
            
            
         <A NAME="RG11902ST-22">22</A> 
            
            Nayak UG. 
            
            Whistler RL. 
            J. Org. Chem. 
            1969, 
            34: 
            3819 
            
            
         <A NAME="RG11902ST-23">23</A> 
            
            Peat S. 
            
            Wiggins LF. 
            J. Chem. Soc. 
            1938, 
            1088 
            
            
         <A NAME="RG11902ST-24">24</A> Compound 19α on 
            reaction with thiophenol produced 2-substituted d-altro-derivative, see:  
            Hanessian S. 
            
            Plessas NR. 
            Chem. 
            Commun. 
            1968, 
            706 
            
            <A NAME="RG11902ST-25">25</A>  
         Analytical and spectroscopic data 
            of selected compounds. 6α: Gummy 
            material. Found: C, 64.48; H, 5.90; S, 8.67. C20H22O5S 
            requires C, 64.15; H, 5.91; S, 8.56%; 1H 
            NMR: δ = 6.59 (1 H, s), 5.88 (1 H, d, J = 4.4 Hz), 5.13 (1 H, m), 
            4.44 (2 H, s, PhCH2), 3.85 (1 H, dd, J = 10.7, 
            2.4 Hz), 3.60 (1 H, dd, J = 10.7, 
            4.4 Hz), 3.39 (3 H, s, OMe), 2.42 (3 H, s, ArMe). 6β: 
            Gummy material. Found: C, 64.41; H, 6.36; S, 8.81. C20H22O5S 
            requires C, 64.15; H, 5.91; S, 8.56%; 1H NMR: δ = 6.60 
            (1 H, s), 5.72 (1 H, s), 4.95 (1 H, d, J = 6.3 Hz), 
            4.47 (2 H, s, PhCH2), 3.83 (1 H, dd, J = 10.7, 
            2.4 Hz), 3.50 (1 H, m), 3.42 (3 H, s, OMe), 2.43 (3 H, s, ArMe). 16: White solid, mp 158-159 °C. 
            Found: C, 56.19; H, 6.90; S, 8.62. C18H24O7S 
            requires C, 56.23; H, 6.28; S, 8.34%; 1H NMR: δ = 5.96 
            (1 H, d, J = 3.9 Hz), 4.96 (1 
            H, d, J = 3.5 Hz), 1.49 (3 H, 
            s, Me), 1.35 (3 H, s, Me), 1.29 (3 H, s, Me), 1.21 (3 H, s, Me).
<A NAME="RG11902ST-26">26</A>  
         Compounds 22α and 22β have been synthesized earlier
            [11]
            
            
            [16a]
            from d-glucose 
            in 14 steps (7 steps for each anomer). The present method makes 
            use of common intermediates upto compounds 21α and 21β, thereby drastically reducing 
            the overall purification steps. Although overall yields for both the 
            methods are comparable, methyl β-d-glucopyranoside, which 
            has been used in the earlier synthesis,
            [11]
            
            
            [16a]
            is far too expensive 
            a starting material to be used in a large-scale multi-step synthesis.
<A NAME="RG11902ST-27">27</A>  
         The configurations at the C-2 and 
            C-3 positions of 23-25 have been established unambiguously. 
            The data will be published as part of a full paper.