Selective Formation of β‐D‐Glucosides of Hindered Alcohols

Alternative conditions for the classical glycosidation method of Koenigs‐Knorr allowed us to prepare selectively β‐D ‐glucosides of several hindered alcohols in good yields in a weakly acidic to almost neutral medium. To illustrate the versatility of our conditions, we prepared the β‐D ‐glucoside of an acid‐sensitive aglycone, a key‐intermediate for the total synthesis of a natural cyanoglucoside, bauhinin.     

Raman microscopic identification of gunshot residues

Raman microscopy was used to identify unambiguously the anions of lead and barium in gunshot residues (ca. 5 μm in size) deposited on cellulosic substrates. It was found that most of the particles consist of mixtures of oxides, sulphate and carbonate (along with carbon). In particular, there is strong evidence for the formation of mixed oxides of iron but only relatively little evidence for oxides of antimony. The Raman technique has been shown to be able to identify individual or mixed components and to confirm the presence of microcrystalline particles with a particular crystal structure (e.g. orthorhombic lead oxide). © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.