A concise synthesis of neo-inositol

neo-Inositol was prepared on a multigram scale in five steps from myo-inositol without recourse to column chromatography. The synthesis includes a large-scale preparation of 1,6:3,4-bis-[O-(2,3-dimethoxybutane-2,3-diyl)]-myo-inositol and a high-yielding inversion of configuration at C-5 employing solvolysis of the 5-triflate ester in aqueous dimethylacetamide.