Efficient acid-promoted per-O-sulfation of organic polyols

An efficient protocol for the preparation of per-O-sulfated organic compounds is reported. Sulfation of polyols with the Et3N·SO3 complex in DMF in the presence of triflic acid allowed acceleration of the reaction at lower temperature. The efficiency of the developed protocol is demonstrated by the transformation of a series of organic polyols and phenols related to oligosaccharides, cyclitols, lignans and flavonoids.