Developments in mid-infrared FT-IR spectroscopy of selected carbohydrates

FT-IR spectroscopy has become a powerful research tool for elucidating the structure, physical properties and interactions of carbohydrates. It provid es a new interpretive and experimental framework for the study of complicat ed systems of natural polymers. This paper gives an overview over new infra red applications in the study of carbohydrates, both small compounds and ma cromolecules. These include a wide range of studies of carbohydrates in dif ferent physical states, from the crystalline solid state to aqueous solutio n, and special techniques, which expand the experimental framework to the i n-mure studies of plant materials, and quantitative determination. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.