disclosed herein is a reversible carbohydrate trap , methods and system for preparing the trap and use of the trap in preparing and trapping glycans for the study of carbohydrate structure . the device and methods assist in the structural characterization of glycans . the method traps and purifies carbohydrate structures at improved sensitivities , thereby enhancing the accuracy of a tissue or cell &# 39 ; s complete carbohydrate composition , the glycome , . most basically , the trap device covalently binds activated glycosyl residues on a polymer specifically prepared to contain aldehydic functional groups . the trap material is formed from a carbohydrate polymer , preferably dextran , which is oxidized with periodate to introduce aldehydic groups . the oxidized dextran polymer is packable into separation colulmns or micro - tips for use as the glycan trap . glycans treated with hydrazine , to form glycosyl hydrazyls , may then be added to the oxidized carbohydrate polymer , , trap wherein they are covalently bound to the aldehyde groups of the trap . to release the bound glycosyl hydrazyls , anhydrous hydmzine may be added at approximately room temperatures , thereby releasing the glycans as glycosylhydrazyls which may then be studied further .