Learning Strategies in Biochemistry:
Carbohydrates

Revised 2008/05/22

Essential Review:

From organic chemistry, review these concepts:

• Stereochemistry: enantiomers, diastereoisomers, Fischer and Haworth projections.
• Keto-enol tautomerism.
• Conformations of 6-membered rings (axial and equatorial positions, chair and boat forms) and 5-membered rings.
• Synthesis and reactions of acetals and hemiacetals (found in chapters on aldehydes and ketones).

Essential Memory Work:

Look for figures or tables that show you how to carry out these tasks:

• Draw the ring form of a monosaccharide from its open-chain form, and the open-chain form from the ring form.
• Distinguish between the alpha and beta anomers of ring forms of monosaccharides.

Quiz (Beginning of First Class on Carbohydrates)

1) Find the figures or tables showing Fischer projections of 3- to 6-carbon aldose and ketose sugars. Given a Fischer projection of the open-chain form of an aldose or ketose, draw the same compound in ring form (specified as 5- or 6-membered, alpha or beta anomer) in Haworth projection.

2) Given a Haworth projection of the ring form of a monosaccharide, draw the same compound in open-chain form, Fischer projection.

Biochemistry Resources