Try it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
A sugar of molar mass contains carbon, hydrogen and oxygen by mass. Take C as , H as and O as . Find the empirical formula, then the molecular formula. If the sugar is an aldopentose with an unbranched chain, how many stereoisomers does it have?
A carbohydrate is a polyhydroxy aldehyde or ketone. An aldose has stereocentres and a ketose has , where is the number of carbons in the chain. The number of stereoisomers is , and half of them belong to the D series. An empirical formula comes from the moles of each element in 100 g.
Have you tried it?
Work it out on paper first. It is fine to get stuck or make a mistake: that is how we learn. When you are ready, go through the solution one step at a time, and check each step against your own.
Plan. Moles of each element give the empirical formula. The molar mass gives the multiplier.
Step 1. Moles in 100 g. Carbon: . Hydrogen: . Oxygen: .
Step 2. Ratio. Dividing by 3.33 gives C : H : O = 1 : 2 : 1. The empirical formula is , with a molar mass of .
Step 3. Molecular formula. . The formula is , so there are 5 carbon atoms.
Step 4. Stereoisomers. An aldopentose has 3 stereocentres, so stereoisomers.
Answer: , with 8 stereoisomers if it is an aldopentose.
Check. The hydrogen is twice the oxygen in the ratio, as in every carbohydrate of this kind: .
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