Abstract
Cellobiose phosphorylase from Clostridium thermocellum was examined for its ability to catalyze the synthesis of cellobiose derivatives with glucose-1-phosphate as the donor and azido analogues of glucose as acceptors. We have prepared the 2-azido-2-deoxy, 3-azido-3-deoxy and 6-azido-6-deoxy analogues of glucose as analogues of the reducing glucose moiety, as well as the diastereoisomer allose with a view to producing novel oligosaccharides for pharmaceutical applications.