relates to processes for the preparation of fondaparinux the invention also relates to processes for the preparation of novel intermediates useful in the synthesis of fondaparinux the processes described herein proceed in an efficient manner thereby providing the desired compounds in good yield and in a manner that is scalable and reproducible on an industrial scale the present invention provides a procedure for the selective formation of a u03b2 anomer product from a glycosylation coupling reaction without wishing to be bound by theory the applicants believe that the u03b2 u03b1 ratio observed during the processes described herein is due to the levulinate directed glycosylation exemplified below the 2 levulinate mediated glycosylation reactions described herein provide a surprisingly high u03b2 u03b1 ratio of coupled products in the present invention a high u03b2 selectivity is obtained when the present conformationally restricted anhydro acceptor c is used the high u03b2 selectivity is unexpected and may be due the conformationally locked anhydroglucose thus in certain aspects the present invention provides a levulinate ester tetrandropyranyl ether lev thp strategy for the protection deprotection and re protection of the 2 position of a glucuronic saccharide which is useful for the synthesis of fondaparinux and related compounds in one embodiment the present invention relates to a process for preparing fondaparinux sodium in certain embodiments the.