Hemiketal groups, monosaccharide structure

The aldehyde or ketone group of monosaccharides can undergo an intramolecular reaction with one of its own hydroxyl groups to form a cyclic, hemiacetal, or hemiketal structure, respectively (Figure 1.26). In aqueous solutions, this cyclic structure actually predominates. The open-chain aldehyde or ketone form of monosaccharides is in equilibrium with the cyclic form, but the open structure exists less than 0.5 percent of the time in aqueous environments. It is the... 

Monosaccharides commonly form internal hemiacetals or hemiketals, in which the aldehyde or ketone group joins with a hydroxyl group of the same molecule, creating a cyclic structure this can be represented as a Haworth perspective formula. The carbon atom originally found in the aldehyde or ketone group (the anomeric carbon) can assume either of two configurations, a and /3, which are interconvertible by mutarotation. In the linear form, which is in equilibrium with the cyclized forms, the anomeric carbon is easily oxidized. 

An extra chiral center is produced at the hemiacetal (or hemiketal) carbon (former carbonyl carbon). The hydroxyl group can be either below (a) or above ( 3) the plane of the ring structure. Monosaccharides that differ only in the configuration of the groups at the hemiacetal (hemiketal) carbon are known as anomers. The hemiacetal (hemiketal) carbon is known as the anomeric carbon (Fig. 122). 

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