Draw the Structure of the Enantiomer of Mannose: How Many Chirality Centers Are Present in This Molecule? How Many Total Stereoisomers Does Mannose Have?

Mannose is a simple sugar and an aldose that belongs to the group of monosaccharides. It has multiple stereocenters, which contributes to the existence of its stereoisomers.

Structure of Enantiomer of Mannose

The enantiomer of mannose would be D-mannose, which has the same molecular formula but a different spatial arrangement of the atoms. To draw its enantiomer, L-mannose, the configuration of each chirality center is reversed. Here is a simple representation of L-mannose:

          CHO
           |
        HO-C-H
           |   
        H-C-OH
           |   
        H-C-OH
           |   
          CH2OH

The enantiomer has all the same atoms but mirrors the structure of D-mannose.

(a) Chirality Centers

Mannose has 2 chirality centers (also known as chiral centers or stereocenters) in its structure. These are the carbon atoms that are connected to four different substituents, causing the molecule to be chiral.

(b) Total Stereoisomers of Mannose

The total number of stereoisomers for a compound can be calculated using the formula 2ⁿ, where n is the number of chirality centers. Since mannose has 2 chirality centers, the number of possible stereoisomers is:

2² = 4

This means that mannose can have a total of four stereoisomers, which include its enantiomers and other configurations.