anomer
|an-o-mer|
🇺🇸
/ˈænəmər/
🇬🇧
/ˈænəmə/
stereoisomer at the anomeric carbon
Etymology
'anomer' originates from New Latin/modern chemical usage, ultimately formed from the adjective 'anomeric' (used in carbohydrate chemistry) which itself is built from Greek-derived elements.
'anomer' was introduced into chemical terminology in the late 19th to early 20th century (via descriptions in German and English chemical literature) from the adjective 'anomeric'; the adjective was coined to describe the stereochemical relationship at the anomeric carbon and then substantivized as 'anomer'.
Initially used to name the stereochemical relationship at the anomeric carbon, it came to be used as a noun denoting one member of the pair of stereoisomers (the α or β form) of a cyclic sugar.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
each of a pair of stereoisomers of a cyclic sugar that differ in configuration only at the anomeric carbon (the carbon derived from the carbonyl carbon when the sugar cyclizes), commonly referred to as the α- and β-anomers.
When glucose cyclizes, it can form two different anomeric forms; the anomer in which the OH at C1 is axial is the alpha anomer.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/08/18 03:36