Monosaccharide (D-Gal, D-Fru, D-Glc, D-Xyl, D-Rib) and disaccharide (D-Mal) complexes of Mn(II) were synthesised from non-aqueous solutions using [NEt(4)](2)[MnCl2Br2] and MnCl2 . 4H(2)O. The isolated and purified complexes were characterised by diffuse reflectance, FTIR, EPR, DTA, TGA, magnetic susceptibility, and cyclic voltammetry techniques. Synthesis from [NEt(4)](2)[MnCl2Br2] yielded dimeric complexes 1-3 and 9, and from MnCl2 . 4H(2)O it yielded trimeric complexes 4-8. These water-soluble complexes were found to be anionic with a Mn-to-saccharide ratio of 1:1 for monosaccharide complexes 1-8 and 2:1 for disaccharide complex 9. The complexes were found to be hydrolytically stable in solution at higher concentrations (greater than or equal to 4 mM), as studied by cyclic voltammetry. (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd.