DERIVATIZATION PROCEDURES FOR REDUCING OLIGOSACCHARIDES .4. USE OF GLYCOSYLAMINES IN A REVERSIBLE DERIVATIZATION OF OLIGOSACCHARIDES WITH THE 9-FLUORENYLMETHOXYCARBONYL GROUP, AND HPLC SEPARATIONS OF THE DERIVATIVES
A new, reversible derivatization procedure for reducing oligosaccharides was developed. Reaction of the model compound lacto-N-tetraose (beta-D-Gal-(1 --> 3)-beta-D-GlcNAc-(1 --> 3)-beta-D-Gal-(1 --> 4)-D-Glc) with aqueous ammonium bicarbonate gave the corresponding beta-glycosylamine, which was reacted with fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl chloride to give an N-fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl beta-glycosylamine (FMOC derivative). The free oligosaccharide could be recovered in high yield from the FMOC derivative by brief treatment with 15% aqueous ammonia. Complex oligosaccharide mixtures from human milk were derivatized with the new procedure, and excellent separations of the derivatives on straight-phase silica HPLC columns were achieved.