A column chromatographic system utilizing diethylaminoethyl (DEAE) cellulose equilibrated with phosphate buffer at pH 6.5 has been found satisfactory for the separation of pectic polysaccharides from apple fruit tissue. Increasing phosphate concentrations eluted in order from a sample of Bramley Seedling whole pectin, a neutral arabinan-galactan, a polyuronide and a ‘ poly-aldo-uronide’. Similar components were found in extracts from Cox's Orange Pippin tissue. The pectic fraction soluble in neutral buffer at 20 °C was found to contain largely polyuronide. Sodium hexametaphosphate at 95 °C extracted a much larger proportion of poly-aldo-uronide but this component was partially degraded during extraction. A proportion of polyuronide remaining after this extraction could be liberated only by markedly degradative procedures and was therefore not characterised.