Sugar rings Flashcards
How many carbons are required to form a ring structure?
5 or more
How are ring conformations made?
A reaction of the carbonyl carbon with a hydroxyl group in the chain
What conformation do pyranose sugars assume?
A chair conformation
Why do pyranose sugars form a chair conformation?
Due to the tetrahedral nature of carbon bonds
What does the chair conformation prevent?
Steric hindrance of the substitutions of the carbon atoms
What are the 2 ways the substitutions can be?
Axial
Equatorial
What are axial atoms?
They point in opposite directions on adjacent carbons as if they pointed in the same direction they would physically clash
What are equatorial atoms?
They are parallel to the plane of the sugar ring
What does the stereochemistry at the anomeric carbon determine?
If the sugar is an α or β anomer
When are the α and the β of the monosaccharide generated?
During ring formation and exist in equilibrium with each other when the monosaccharide is in free solution
