Abstract Carbohydrate microarrays are an emerging tool for the high-throughput screening of carbohydrate–protein interactions that represent the basis of many biologically and medicinally relevant processes. The crucial step in the preparation of carbohydrate arrays is the attachment of carbohydrate probes to the surface. We examined the Diels–Alder reaction with inverse-electron-demand (DARinv) as an irreversible, chemoselective ligation ...