Verbessertes Chloren von Sucrose-6-Ester

A process for the chlorination of sucrose-6-esters to produce 6 min ,4,1 min -trichlorosucrose-6-esters which comprises the steps of: (a) adding at least seven molar equivalents of an acid chloride to a reaction mixture containing a sucrose-6-ester and a tertiary amide to form initially a chloroformiminium chloride salt which subsequently forms a complex with the hydroxyl goups of the sucrose-6-ester; (b) subjecting the reaction mixture product of step (a) to an elevated temperature not higher than about 85 DEG C for a period of time sufficient to produce a mixture of chlorinated sucrose-6-ester products consisting essentially of 6 min -chlorosucrose-6-ester, 4,6 min -dichlorosucrose-6-ester, and 1 min ,6 min -dichlorosucrose-6-ester; and (c) subjecting the reaction mixture product of step (b) to an elevated temperature not higher than about 125 DEG C for a period of time sufficient to produce a chlorinated product consisting essentially of 1 min ,4,6 min -trichlorosucrose-6-ester.