Reaction at the interface of an organic solution containing an acidic reactant and an aqueous alkaline solution containing nonreducing carbohydrates such as sucrose, sugar alcohols, cyclodextrins, and polysaccharides imparts a specificity to the reaction for one or more of the primary alcohol groups of the carbohydrate reactant. The resulting activated, nonreducing carbohydrate intermediate can then be converted to a series of substantially pure, low molecular weight reaction products, including a sucrose trimer and dianhydrosucrose, and to a series of substantially pure, higher molecular weight reaction products, including 6-O-sucro cyclodextrins and poly-6-O-sucro amylose.