Enantiomers

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Aren’t D-glucose and L-glucose enantiomers (mirror images)? Cuz the aldehyde groups on the 1st carbon are still the same. So how can they be flipped on each other as mirror images?

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.differencebetween.com%2Fdifference-between-d-and-vs-l-glucose%2F&psig=AOvVaw39-P9S1jjqyO0rfqKtMTi3&ust=1698258315298000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CBEQjRxqFwoTCOCEzq6nj4IDFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE

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2 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

Sounds like this is undergrad or earlier, so /r/chemistry would direct you to /r/chemhelp which appears active.

But if you can build the molecules with a 3D model (either physical or computer) you can rotate the C-C single bonds to see if you can get two non-superimposable mirror images, or if it’s just one chiral center. The Fischer projections are misleading.

Anonymous 0 Comments

The aldehyde group is free to rotate around the single bond to the next carbon in the chain, so it doesn’t contribute to chirality.

In general, if you have one stereocenter and you rearrange its four groups to the other configuration, you will have an enantiomer