Abstract
Summary Fructans are defined as compounds in which linkages between fructose residues constitute the majorityof linkages. This includes small oligomers and polymers with more than 10,000 residues. The structures and basic chemistry of fructose and glucose are reviewed, and conformational nomenclature for fructo-furanose is adapted from the study of furanose rings of ribose. The fructofuranose ring is a high-energy form, according to molecular mechanics calculations, and its preferred form is puckered with carbon 3 down. Crystal structures containing fructofuranose residues have, with one exception, variations of this form. Compounds and complexes of fructose are briefly mentioned. The analysis of di-fructose dian-hydride 1 by Lemieux and Nagarajan is discussed to indicate the importance of conformation to chemical behavior of compounds containing fructose; a computer model of dianhydride 1 supports their proposal. Computer models of inulin and linear levan are shown to be flexible, but the shapes of levans are restricted by the presence of the primary alcohol group on CI that is adjacent to the polymeric linkage.
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