Preparation,Characterisation, and Structure of N-Methylated Derivatives of 1,3,5-Triamino-1,3,5-trideoxy-cis-inositol: Polyalcohols with Unusual Acidity

1,3,5-Trideoxy-1,3,5-tris(dimethylamino)-cis-inositol (TDCI) and 1,3,5-trideoxy-1,3,5-tris(trimethylammonio)-cis-inositol (TTCI) were prepared by methylation of 1,3,5-triamino-1,3,5-trideoxy-cis-inositol (TACI). The ability of TDCI to form both intermolecular and intramolecular H-bonds, as demonstrated by X-ray diffraction, is probably responsible for the good solubility of TDCI in almost every common solvent. TTCI was found to be a polyol of unusual high acidity (pK₁ = 8.14 ± 0.02, pK₂ = 13.0 ± 0.2). This phenomenon could be explained by electrostatic interactions between the charged substituents of the cyclohexane residue.