xylohexaose

Xylohexaose is an oligosaccharide consisting of six units of D-xylose linked by β-1,4-glycosidic bonds, forming a linear chain of six β-D-xylopyranose residues. It belongs to the xylooligosaccharides (XOS), which are produced by partial hydrolysis of xylan, a major component of plant cell walls. In standard nomenclature, the chain has a reducing end at one terminus and a nonreducing end at the other; all inter-unit linkages are β-1,4.

The chemical formula of xylohexaose is C30H50O25, and its approximate molecular weight is 810.7 g/mol. Six xylose units yield five glycosidic bonds and the corresponding loss of five water molecules during assembly.

Xylohexaose is not typically found as a discrete natural isolate; it is produced by controlled enzymatic hydrolysis of xylan using enzymes such as endoxylanases and related activities, or by chemical synthesis for research purposes. It is commonly available as a standard or reference oligosaccharide for analytical methods.

Applications of xylohexaose include use as a calibrant or reference in carbohydrate analysis methods such as high-performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. It is also utilized to study the substrate specificity of xylan-degrading enzymes. In nutrition research, xylooligosaccharides, including xylohexaose, are investigated for potential prebiotic effects, as they can be fermented by gut microbiota to produce short-chain fatty acids.