Selective chlorination of pentitols

Article abstract of DOI:10.1016/0008-6215(91)84087-U

Methanesulfonyl chloride in N,N-dimethylformamide transformed unprotected D-arabinitol into its 1,5-dichloro derivative in 50percent yield.Other pentitols also reacted to give the corresponding 1,5-dichloropentitols, but with lower yields.The structures of the products were determined by n.m.r. spectroscopy.