Seeds of Ocimum basilicum L. are used in traditional medicine for stomach ulcers, dyspepsia, diarrhea, pharyngitis, and kidney inflammation [1]. Basil seeds are often included in drinks (sherbet) and frozen desserts (faloodeh) for esthetics and as a source of dietary fiber in Iran and many regions of Asia [2,3]. The external pericarp swells upon wetting with water and forms a gel-like coating [4] because of the presence of a polysaccharide layer.We communicated previously that polysaccharides isolated from O. basilicum seeds consisted of fructose, glucuronic acid, galacturonic acid, rhamnose, xylose, arabinose, and galactose. The principal constituents were xylose, glucuronic acid, and arabinose [5]. In continuation of research in this area, we present results on the isolation and purification of acidic watersoluble polysaccharides from O. basilicum fruit by column chromatography over DEAE-Sepharose CL-6B and Sephadex G-100 and on their structures according to IR and NMR spectroscopy.Pure acidic polysaccharides were obtained using the previously obtained acidic water-soluble polysaccharide (WSPS-H-A) [5]. WSPS-H-A (200 mg) was dissolved in distilled H 2 O (6 mL) and centrifuged for 5 min at 10,000 rpm and 4°C. The supernatant liquid was transferred to a Servacel DEAE-23SN ion-exchange column (25 mm u 25 cm) and eluted with H 2 O and NaCl solutions (concentrations 0.2, 0.5, and 1.0 M). The polysaccharide yield was monitored using the phenol-H 2 SO 4 method.The polysaccharide content in the fraction eluted by H 2 O was 12.6 mg (fraction 1, 6.3%); by NaCl (0.2 M), 170 mg (fraction 2, 80%); by NaCl (0.5 M), 19.5 mg (fraction 3, 9.7%); and by NaCl (1.0 M), 5.1 mg (fraction 4, 2.5%). A total of 98.5% of the polysaccharide fraction was recovered.Fraction 2 (50 mg) was separated by column chromatography over Sephadex G-100 on an HP Polysaccharide Purifier 10 instrument equipped with conductivity, UV, and differential detectors to afford homogeneous fraction 2-1 (13.1 mg yield).The IR spectrum of fraction 2-1 had absorption bands at 3411 cm 1 (OH), 1642 (carboxyl), 1200-1000 (C-Ñ and C-O stretching), 800 (pyranose ring), and 873 (E-glycoside bond) [6].The structure of fraction 2-1 was studied using PMR and 13 C NMR spectroscopy and 2D COSY, HSQC, and HMBC methods.PMR spectra in the region of anomeric protons exhibited four resonances at G 5.30 ppm (strongest), 4.86 (minor), 4.64, and 4.48. Other proton resonances were located in the range 3.2-4.4 ppm. A strong singlet at 3.48 ppm was characteristic of an OCH 3 group. The strong-field spectral region contained a doublet at 1.26 ppm (J = 4.2 Hz) that was characteristic of a rhamnopyranose (Rhap) methyl.The 13 C NMR spectrum showed in the range 100-105 ppm four anomeric resonances at 100.44, 102.79, 104.23, and 104.69 ppm. The first strong resonance belonged to C-1 of D-glucuronic acid (D-GlcpA). The other anomeric resonances were assigned to E-rhamnopyranose (E-Rhap, weak), E-xylopyranose (E-Xylp), and E-arabinopyranose (D-Arap). A resonance at 179.97 ppm that gave a cross-...