Investigations on the chemistry of heparin V. Disaccharides obtained after partial hydrolysis

• 1.

  1. The structure of the polysaccharide backbone of heparin was investigated by means of graded hydrolysis procedures.

• 2.

  2. Desulfated acetamido heparin was partially hydrolyzed with acid and the products were fractionated on a cation exchange resin. This yielded glucosamine, disaccharides and a mixture of oligosaccharides.

• 3.

  3. Two disaccharides were isolated as their acetamido derivatives. One of these was identified as $\text{4-O-(2-}\text{acetamido-2-deoxy-α-}\text{d}\text{-glucopyranoside)-}\text{d}\text{-glucopyranosyl-uronic acid}$ and the other as $\text{4-O-(}\text{d}\text{-glucopyranosyluronic acid}\text{)-2-}\text{acetamido}\text{-2-}\text{deoxy-}\text{d}\text{-glucopyranose}$.

• 4.

  4. These results indicate that heparin contains alternating 1,4-linked units of glucosamine and glucuronic acid.