A range of carbohydrate derivatives containing a-ketoester functionality undergo efficient reductive loss of the acyloxy groups when treated with tri-n-butyltin hydride in refluxing benzene and in the presence of azoisobutyronitrile (AIBN) as radical initiator; under similar conditions, but with allyltri-n-butyltin instead of the hydride, efficient a-C-allylation takes place with axial substitution occurring preferentially in compounds with the ketoesters located within conformationally stable pyranoid rings; the methods represent novel ways of deoxygenating carbohydrate derivatives and of introducing branch points.

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