Defatted powdered jute was delignified by chlorite treatment and the hemicellulose extracted with alkali. The precipitated material was purified by washing with alcoholic hydrochloric acid and dried by solvent exchange. The hydrolysed hemicellulose yielded neutral sugar and sugar acids separated on ion exchange resins. The neutral sugar was identified as D-xylose. The sugar acid fraction contained mainly an aldobiouronic acid proved by the reduction of the methyl ester methyl glycoside with lithium aluminum hydride followed by hydrolysis to consist of D-xylose linked to a monomethyl glucose. This was shown, via its ahilide and osazone, to be 4-0-methyl-D-glucose. Methanolysis of the aldobiouronic acid yielded the methyl glycoside of a uronic acid which on treatment with diazomethane and then with methanolic ammonia gave 4-0-methyl-α-D-glucuronoamide methyl glycoside, after fractional crystallization. Reduction of the aldobiouronic acid methyl ester methyl glycoside with lithium aluminum hydride, followed by methylation and hydrolysis, gave 2,3,4,6-tetra-0-methyl-D-glucose and 3,4-di-0-methyl-D-xylose. A search for a crystalline derivative of the purified aldobiouronic acid and of its related xylitol compound formed on reduction with potassium borohydride was unsuccessful. / Science, Faculty of / Chemistry, Department of / Graduate