Book excerpt: This book is on carbohydrates-the essential molecules that give you energy. They are the building blocks of life. This book delivers up-to-date coverage on all aspects of carbohydrate chemistry. The molecules are sometimes sugars, i.e. "sweet," hence the subtitle "The Sweet Molecules of Life."Carbohydrates first gives the "nuts and bolts" of carbohydrate chemistry, enabling the reader to appreciate the subsequent chapters on protecting groups and the reactions of monosaccharides. (The protecting groups do just that-they are put on the molecules as a temporary measure during one or more reactions to stop the wrong bit of the molecule being changed during that reaction.)* Introduces the basic chemistry of carbohydrates * Describes the concepts, protecting groups, and reactions of carbohydrates* Includes all aspects of the synthesis of the glycosidic linkage* Gives an introduction to glycobiology and vaccines* Includes references to carbohydrate literature