The carbohydrate backbones of the core-lipid A region were characterized from the lipopolysaccharides (LPSs) of Serratia marcescens strains 111R (a rough mutant strain of serotype O29) and IFO 3735 (a smooth strain not serologically characterized but possessing the O-chain structure of serotype O19). The LPSs were degraded either by mild hydrazinolysis (de-O-acylation) and hot 4 M KOH (de-N-acylation), or by hydrolysis in 2 % aqueous acetic acid, or by deamination. Oligosaccharide phosphates were isolated by high-performance anion-exchange chromatography. Through the use of compositional analysis, electrospray ionization Fourier transform mass spectrometry, and 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy applying various one- and two-dimensional experiments, we identified the structures of the carbohydrate backbones that contained D-glycero-D-talo-oct-2-ulopyranosonic acid and 4-amino-4-deoxy-L-arabinose 1-phosphate residues. We also identified some truncated structures for both strains. All sugars were D-configured pyranoses and alpha-linked, except where stated otherwise.