Shortcut Synthesis of β-Cyclomannin from β-Cyclodextrin

β-Cyclomannin, a cyclic oligosaccharide consisting of seven α-d-mannosides connected together by the (1→4) glycoside linkage, has been efficiently synthesized by the OsO4 oxidation of heptakis(2,3-didehydroxy)-β-cyclodextrin which was prepared from β-cyclodextrin by a five-step transformation. The novel cyclooligosaccharide not only showed water solubility high enough to meet the requirement for drug formulation but also demonstrated strong binding ability toward guest molecules.