The reaction which takes place between acetone and sugars or polyhydric alcohols, first described by Fischer, produced several beautiful crystalline compounds of greater interest. Their value, however, to the study of carbohydrate chemistry, was only appreciated when Irvine, in 1908, applied to their investigation the process of methylation. It is through this reaction that most light has been thrown on the structure of carbohydrate derivatives and once again, in the present work, the methylation method has been applied to the study of the glucose acetones. A detailed account of the general type of reaction involved is unnecessary, since, owing to the success which has attended this method of investigation in many other important problems in sugar chemistry, it is now well known
