Gas phase monosaccharides (2-deoxyribose, ribose, arabinose, xylose, lyxose, glucose galactose, fructose, and tagatose), generated by laser desorption of solid sample pellets, are ionized with extreme ultraviolet photons (EUV, 46.9 nm, 26.44 eV). The resulting fragment ions are analyzed using a time of flight mass spectrometer. All aldoses yield identical fragment ions regardless of size, and ketoses, while also generating same ions as aldoses, yields additional features. Extensive fragmentation of the monosaccharides is the result the EUV photons ionizing various inner valence orbitals. The observed fragmentation patterns are not dependent upon hydrogen bonding structure or OH group orientation. (c) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.