diff --git a/src/ikarus.boot b/src/ikarus.boot
index ce1bbad..b31d9b1 100644
Binary files a/src/ikarus.boot and b/src/ikarus.boot differ
diff --git a/src/ikarus.chars.ss b/src/ikarus.chars.ss
index d719959..49a5ad7 100644
--- a/src/ikarus.chars.ss
+++ b/src/ikarus.chars.ss
@@ -1,10 +1,13 @@
 
 (library (ikarus chars)
-  (export char=? char<? char<=? char>? char>=?)
+  (export char=? char<? char<=? char>? char>=? char-whitespace?
+          char-alphabetic? char-downcase)
   (import 
-    (except (ikarus) char=? char<? char<=? char>? char>=?)
+    (except (ikarus)
+      char=? char<? char<=? char>? char>=?
+      char-whitespace? char-alphabetic? char-downcase)
     (only (scheme) 
-          $car $cdr
+          $car $cdr $fx+ $fx- $fixnum->char $char->fixnum
           $char= $char< $char<= $char> $char>=))
 
   ;;; FIXME: this file is embarrasing
@@ -192,4 +195,38 @@
                                        (err ($car c*))))))
                          (err c2)))))
              (err c1))])))
+
+  (define char-whitespace?
+    (lambda (c)
+      (cond 
+        [(memq c '(#\space #\tab #\newline #\return)) #t]
+        [(char? c) #f]
+        [else
+         (error 'char-whitespace? "~s is not a character" c)])))
+  
+  (define char-alphabetic?
+    (lambda (c)
+      (cond
+        [(char? c)
+         (cond
+           [($char<= #\a c) ($char<= c #\z)]
+           [($char<= #\A c) ($char<= c #\Z)]
+           [else #f])]
+        [else 
+         (error 'char-alphabetic?  "~s is not a character" c)])))
+  
+  (define char-downcase
+    (lambda (c)
+      (cond
+        [(char? c)
+         (cond
+           [(and ($char<= #\A c) ($char<= c #\Z))
+            ($fixnum->char 
+              ($fx+ ($char->fixnum c)
+                    ($fx- ($char->fixnum #\a)
+                          ($char->fixnum #\A))))]
+           [else c])]
+        [else 
+         (error 'char-downcase "~s is not a character" c)])))
+
 )
diff --git a/src/ikarus.core.ss b/src/ikarus.core.ss
index 166eea6..e91492f 100644
--- a/src/ikarus.core.ss
+++ b/src/ikarus.core.ss
@@ -69,40 +69,6 @@
                ls
                (f x (cdr ls)))))))
 
-(primitive-set! 'char-whitespace?
-  (lambda (c)
-    (cond 
-      [(memq c '(#\space #\tab #\newline #\return)) #t]
-      [(char? c) #f]
-      [else
-       (error 'char-whitespace? "~s is not a character" c)])))
-
-(primitive-set! 'char-alphabetic?
-  (lambda (c)
-    (cond
-      [(char? c)
-       (cond
-         [($char<= #\a c) ($char<= c #\z)]
-         [($char<= #\A c) ($char<= c #\Z)]
-         [else #f])]
-      [else 
-       (error 'char-alphabetic?  "~s is not a character" c)])))
-
-(primitive-set! 'char-downcase
-  (lambda (c)
-    (cond
-      [(char? c)
-       (cond
-         [(and ($char<= #\A c) ($char<= c #\Z))
-          ($fixnum->char 
-            ($fx+ ($char->fixnum c)
-                  ($fx- ($char->fixnum #\a)
-                        ($char->fixnum #\A))))]
-         [else c])]
-      [else 
-       (error 'char-downcase "~s is not a character" c)])))
-
-
 (primitive-set! 'set-car!
   (lambda (x y) 
     (unless (pair? x)