Question

Define the term:  Anomers. 
 

Hint:

Anomers are the reason for "mutarotation" – the change in specific rotation over time as the isomers interconvert.

Answer 1

Anomers:

Definition:
Anomers are a type of stereoisomer found in cyclic saccharides (such as sugars), which differ in configuration only at the anomeric carbon (the carbon that was part of the carbonyl group in the open-chain form of the sugar). When a sugar molecule cyclizes, it forms a new chiral center at the anomeric carbon, resulting in two possible isomers: the alpha (α) anomer and the beta (β) anomer.
Explanation:
In the cyclic form of a sugar, the hydroxyl group (-OH) attached to the anomeric carbon can be positioned either on the same side as the CH2OH group (in the case of the beta (β) anomer) or on the opposite side (in the case of the alpha (α) anomer). These two forms are called anomers and can interconvert in a process known as mutarotation.