The Identification of 3‐O‐Methyl‐D‐xylose and 3‐O‐Methyl‐L‐xylose as Constituents of the Lipopolysaccharides of Myxococcus fulvus and Rhodopseudomonas viridis, respectively

Lipophilic sugar constituents with identical chromatographic properties were identified in the lipopolysaccharides of the two gram‐negative bacteria, Myxococcus fulvus (Myxococcaceae) and Rhodopseudomonas viridis (Rhodospirillaceae). Both sugars were characterized as 3‐ O ‐methylpentoses by mass spectrometry, and xylose was obtained after demethylation. The optical rotation of the O ‐methyl sugars and the reactivity of the demethylated sugars with D‐glucose oxidase revealed that Myxococcus fulvus contains 3‐ O ‐methyl‐D‐xylose whereas Rhodopseudomonas viridis contains 3‐ O ‐methyl‐L‐xylose.