JCE Online Journal of Chemical Education
 | Subscriptions  | Software Orders  | Support  | Contributors  | Advertisers  | 

JCE Print

JCE Digital Library

JCE Software

Only@JCE Online

About JCE


  Home > JCE Print > Journal of Chemical Education > Issues > 2000  > June  >
In the Classroom
SOS: A Mnemonic for the Stereochemistry of Glucose
Ronald Starkey
Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, Green Bay, WI 54311-7001

Cover
June 2000
Vol. 77 No. 6
p. 734

Abstract
The mnemonic SOS (Same, Opposite, Same) can be helpful to recall the stereochemistry in either D-glucose or L-glucose. It refers to the configurations of C-2, C-3, and C-4 relative to that of C-5 in an aldohexose. Same and Opposite refer to either the R or S configuration or to the relative positions of the OH groups on the Fischer projection structural formula. The SOS mnemonic can help to reinforce that gluco specifies the relative configurations of stereocenters in the molecule.
More Information
*  Citation
Starkey, Ronald. J. Chem. Educ. 2000 77 734.
*  Keywords
Carbohydrates; Stereochemistry; Organic Chemistry; Teaching / Learning Aids
*  History
Created:
Last Updated:
April 25, 2000
April 15, 2005
  Home > JCE Print > Journal of Chemical Education > Issues > 2000 > June > Page 734


Subscriptions

JCE HS CLIC

Our Secondary School editors work hard to distill all the JCE materials to produce a fraction of particular interest to high school teachers. We call it CLIC.


Contributions Welcome
JCE welcomes your submission

Advertisers
In recent years we have worked hard to better match our advertisers with our readers. When shopping for chemistry education materials, visit our advertisers' WWW sites first.

Be An Ambassador
Take JCE along on your outreach missions. Copies of the Journal, guest access to JCE Online, our publications catalog, and more are available for your participants.