Abstract
A selective formose synthesis was achieved by photo- and γ-irradiation of formaldehyde in the presence of base. Photoirradiation of aqueous formaldehyde solution gave pentaerythritol as a single product, while γ-irradiation resulted in the formation of glycolaldehyde as the main product. These results suggest that the formose reaction under photo- and γ-irradiation is considerably different from the thermal formose reaction.