Essentials of Carbohydrate Chemistry

Carbohydrates are the most widely distributed naturally-occurring orga nic compounds on the Earth. They make up much of our food, clothing an d shelter, and are as vital to national economies as they are to our d iet. The chemistry of carbohydrates is remarkably diverse and has prog ressed enormously since the nineteenth-century discovery that carbohyd rates have the basic formula Cn(H2O)n. Essentials of Carbohydrate Chem istry is the first comprehensive treatment of carbohydrate chemistry i n many years. It examines the structures, reactions, modifications, an d properties of carbohydrates, their industrial applications, and the history of the field of carbohydrate chemistry. Written for students a s well as practicing scientists, this volume will be of interest to a wide range of disciplines influenced by carbohydrates such as biochemi stry, chemistry, food and nutrition, microbiology, pharmacology, and m edicine.