Facile oxidative cleavage of 4-O-benzyl ethers with dichlorodicyanoquinone in rhamno- and mannopyranosides.

On exposure to dichlorodicyanoquinone in wet dichloromethane at room temperature, equatorial 4-O-benzyl ethers are removed with moderate selectivity in the presence of other benzyl ethers in glycopyranosides and glycothiopyranosides.