How can I draw the structures of the eight aldopentoses? Which are enantiomers?
1 Answer
Jul 10, 2015
The eight D-aldopentoses are shown below. The D- and L-forms of each aldopentose are enantiomers.
Explanation:
Note: The configurations at C-4 of L-xylose and L-lyxose should be HO-C-H.
(from http://www.biochemistrybob.com)
The D- and L-forms of each aldopentose are enantiomers of each other, because they are nonsuperimposable mirror images of each other.
For example, D-ribose and L-ribose are an enantiomeric pair.
(from commons.wikimedia.org)
