Abstract Several N-substituted ethylenediamine (en) Ni (II) derivatives containing ether linkages were prepared in order to study the effect of ligand structure on C-2 epimerization of aldohexoses. The reagent consisted of a Ni (II)-alkylenediamine derivative in methanol. The presence of ether linkages in the ligand increased the solubility of the complexes, and resulted in an increase in the rate of epimerization. Epimerization occurred rapidly under ...
