An α-D-galactose ligand equipped with a thiol-functionalized linker through a short ethyl spacer. The thiol group can be reacted with other thiol-modified substrates to form disulfide bonds, or reacted with maleimides to form stable thioether conjugates. This compound provides an α-anomeric galactose building block for glycoconjugate synthesis, glycomimetic research, and the construction of probes for galactose-recognizing proteins, including galectins and other carbohydrate-binding lectins. Terminal α-Gal residues are also a substrate for glycosyltransferases and relevant to studies of the α-Gal epitope (Galα1-3Gal) and anti-Gal antibody recognition.