Methyl xylobioside and methyl xylotrioside were prepared from the peracetylated anomeric xylosyl trichloroacetimidates by reaction with methanol followed by Zemplén deacetylation. Methyl beta-D-xylopyranoside, methyl beta-D-xylobioside and methyl beta-D-xylotrioside were subjected to treatment with dibutyltin oxide followed by reaction with the trimethylamine/sulfur trioxide complex in tetrahydrofuran. This way, preferential sulfation of the terminal 4-hydroxy group at the nonreducing xylopyranosyl unit was achieved. In addition, partial sulfation at position 2 of the distal xylose unit was observed. The substitution pattern was derived from NMR spectroscopic data and was confirmed by the X-ray structure determination of sodium methyl beta-D-xylopyranoside 4-O-sulfate. The compound crystallized as a hemihydrate in a triclinic lattice of space group P1 and possesses a pseudomonoclinic 2D supramolecular structure. The sulfation of free pentose oligomers via their intermediate stannylene acetals may thus be exploited to generate biologically active oligosaccharides for biomedical applications.