For solutions of four saccharides in water with alkaline-earth chlorides added ultrasonic attenuation spectra between 100 kHz and 2 GHz are reported and compared to those for carbohydrate solutions without salt. Calcium chloride does not alter the relaxation times in the spectra of D-glucose and D(+)-maltose solutions, reflecting the exocyclic hydroxymethyl group rotation, a saccharide-saccharide association, and, with the disaccharide, also motions of both rings of a molecule relative to one another. The spectra of D-xylose and D-fructose solutions are substantially changed by the salts. With both saccharides an additional term with relaxation time around some nanoseconds exists which is assigned to a rearrangement of a carbohydrate-cation complex. Other relaxation terms of these saccharide solutions are also subject to noticeable changes by the salt, indicating specific carbohydrate-cation interactions. The ultrasonic spectra show that such interactions may exist also with carbohydrates which do not display the particular hydroxyl group sequences that are considered to promote complexation with cations. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.