The synthetic procedures for a large-scale preparation of o- and p-nitrophenyl 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-alpha-D-mannopyranoside are described. The synthetic pathway employs the glycosylation of phenol with ManNAc oxazoline, followed by nitration of the aromatic moiety yielding a separable mixture of the o- and p-nitrophenyl derivative in a 2:3 ratio.