At our lab, we analyse polymeric carbohydrates by hydrolysing the polymers and turning the monomeric sugars into alditol acetates with acetic anhydride and 1-methylimidazol as katalysator. Solvent is ethylacetate. The dervatisation take several steps. 1. reduction af monosaccharides to the alditol derivat. 1. acetylation. Today we consider doing this in a on-pot synthesis. Do any one see any problem with that?

Donīt you remove the boric acid formed with a cation exchanger?
We use a Oxime-TMS derivative with the advantage of consecutive reactions in same vial.