Altogether eight sugar-based amphiphiles were synthesized. Out of these, four amphiphiles contained only one hydrocarbon chain in their hydrophobic segment. Two of these single-chain amphiphiles contained fully cyclic, disaccharide headgroups, while the other two were made of one cyclic sugar unit connected to the hydrocarbon chain via open, reduced alditol units. The first two single-chain amphiphiles formed vesicles upon suspension in water as indicated by transmission electron microscopy and dye entrapment experiments. The diameters of these vesicles ranged from 500 to 800 Angstrom. Upon aging, these vesicles transformed into tubular and lamellar microstructures. However, the other two single-chain amphiphiles produced micelles in water. Four double-chain systems including two glycolipid analogues, N-hexadecyl-(1-hexadecylamido)-beta-D-lactoside and N-hexadecyl-(1-hexadecylamido)-beta-D-maltoside, were also synthesized. The other two double-chain (dihexadecyl ether) lipids were based on a pseudoglyceryl backbone where the headgroup residues were made of amino-beta-D-maltoside and amino-beta-D-lactoside, respectively. All the double-chain amphiphiles formed vesicles upon suspension in water as indicated by transmission electron microscopy and dye entrapment experiments. The diameters of these vesicles ranged from similar to 1000 to 1100 Angstrom. X-ray diffraction of the cast films of the vesicle-forming amphiphiles indicated a lamellar thickness of similar to 58-60 Angstrom for these membranous organizations. The vesicular aggregates showed sharp, solid-to-fluid thermal transitions that ranged from similar to 52 to 62 degrees C. Formation of giant-sized vesicles from the single-chain amphiphiles could also be triggered by complex formation with Cu2+ ions under ambient pH conditions.