Are D-glucose and D-galactose Epimers or Anomers?
•
4 min read
Despite sharing the same chemical formula, $C_6H_{12}O_6$, D-glucose and D-galactose are epimers, a specific type of stereoisomer that varies only at one chiral center. This critical difference in their molecular structure at the fourth carbon atom fundamentally distinguishes them in biochemical pathways.
