1 Basic ideas about molecular shape. - 1. 1 Shapes of biopolymers. - 1. 2 Conformational principles. - 1. 3 Shapes in equilibrium. - 2 The building units. - 2. 1 Pyranose (six membered) forms. - 2. 2 Furanose (five membered) forms. - 2. 3 Other forms. - 2. 4 Conformation and configuration: isomers and derivatives. - 2. 5 Sugar shapes in hydrolysis of carbohydrate chains. - 2. 6 Prediction of shapes. - 2. 7 Natural building units. - 3 The linkages. - 3. 1 Linkage structures and patterns. - 3. 2 Linkage conformation. - 3. 3 Chain conformation: order versus disorder. - 4 Simple carbohydrate chains of the periodic type. - 4. 1 Conformational families. - 4. 2 Occurrence properties and function of the ribbon family. - 4. 3 Occurrence properties and function of the hollow helix family. - 4. 4 Loosely jointed linkages and chains. - 5 More complex carbohydrate chains. - 5. 1 Periodic chains with mixed linkages. - 5. 2 Interrupted chain sequences. - 5. 3 Aperiodic sequences. - References. Language: English