Activated mono-, di-, and polysaccharides reaction products thereof, their preparation and uses

Reaction at the interface of an organic solution containing an acidic reactant and an aqueous alkaline solution containing nonreducing carbohydrates such as sucrose, sugar alcohols, cyclodextrins, and polysaccharides imparts a specificity to the reaction for one or more of the primary alcohol groups of the carbohydrate reactant. The resulting activated, nonreducing carbohydrate intermediate can then be converted to a series of substantially pure, low molecular weight reaction products, including a sucrose trimer and dianhydrosucrose, and to a series of substantially pure, higher molecular weight reaction products, including 6-O-sucro cyclodextrins and poly-6-O-sucro amylose.