A series of three oligosaccharides, α-d-Glc-(1→4)-β-d-GlcA-1ωe, β-d-GlcA-(1→4)-α-d-Glc-(1→4)-β-d-GlcA-lωe and α-d-Glc-(1→4)-β-d-GlcA-(1→4)-α-d-Glc-(1→4)-β-d-GlcA-1ωe was prepared by a short synthetic route, using maltose and glucuronic acid derivatives as starting materials. The oligosaccharides contain glucose residues instead of glucosamines, and have a less complicated structure than the corresponding unsulphated structures found in native heparin and heparan sulphate. This simplification in structure has diminished the number of synthetic steps and raised the total yield compared to the preparation of the corresponding heparin/heparan sulphate structures which have been found to bind acidic and basic FGF.