Levoglucosan (C6H10O5) is an organic compound with a six-carbon ring structure formed from the pyrolysis of carbohydrates, such as starch and cellulose.

[1] As a result, levoglucosan is often used as a chemical tracer for biomass burning in atmospheric chemistry studies, particularly with respect to airborne particulate matter.

Along with other tracers such as potassium, oxalate, and gaseous acetonitrile,[2] levoglucosan has been shown to be highly correlated with regional fires.

Levoglucosan has been described as "an unequivocal biomass burning tracer" in the context of forest and brush fires.

[3] But the anhydrosugar has only been found detectable in low temperature samples (150-350 °C), meaning that its value as an indicator for smoke from controlled biomass combustion in, for instance, modern domestic wood stoves which operate at temperatures above 500 °C, is "very doubtful".