Anomer in the context of 3-deoxy-D-manno-octulosonic acid

In organic chemistry, the anomeric effect or Edward-Lemieux effect (after J. T. Edward and Raymond Lemieux) is a stereoelectronic effect that describes the tendency of heteroatomic substituents adjacent to the heteroatom in the ring in, e.g., tetrahydropyran to prefer the axial orientation instead of the less-hindered equatorial orientation that would be expected from steric considerations. This effect was originally observed in pyranose rings by J. T. Edward in 1955 when studying carbohydrate chemistry.

The term anomeric effect was introduced in 1958. The name comes from the term used to designate the lowest-numbered ring carbon of a pyranose, the anomeric carbon. Isomers that differ only in the configuration at the anomeric carbon are called anomers. The anomers of D-glucopyranose are diastereomers, with the beta anomer having a hydroxyl (−OH) group pointing up equatorially, and the alpha anomer having that (−OH) group pointing down axially.

Fucose is a hexose deoxy sugar with the chemical formula C₆H₁₂O₅. It is found on N-linked glycans on the mammalian, insect and plant cell surface. Fucose is the fundamental sub-unit of the seaweed polysaccharide fucoidan. The α(1→3) linked core of fucoidan is a suspected carbohydrate antigen for IgE-mediated allergy.

Two structural features distinguish fucose from other six-carbon sugars present in mammals: the lack of a hydroxyl group on the carbon at the 6-position (C-6) (thereby making it a deoxy sugar) and the L-configuration. It is equivalent to 6-deoxy-L-galactose.

A glycosyl donor is a carbohydrate mono- or oligosaccharide that will react with a suitable glycosyl acceptor to form a new glycosidic bond. By convention, the donor is the member of this pair that contains the resulting anomeric carbon of the new glycosidic bond. The resulting reaction is referred to as a glycosylation or chemical glycosylation.

In a glycosyl donor, a leaving group is required at the anomeric position. The simplest leaving group is the OH group that is naturally present in monosaccharides, but it requires activation by acid catalysis in order to function as leaving group (in the Fischer glycosylation). More effective leaving groups are in general used in the glycosyl donors employed in chemical synthesis of glycosides. Typical leaving groups are halides, thioalkyl groups, or imidates, but acetate, phosphate, and O-pentenyl groups are also employed. Natural glycosyl donors contain phosphates as leaving groups.

A glycosyl acceptor is any suitable nucleophile-containing molecule that will react with a glycosyl donor to form a new glycosidic bond. By convention, the acceptor is the member of this pair which did not contain the resulting anomeric carbon of the new glycosidic bond. Since the nucleophilic atom of the acceptor is typically an oxygen atom, this can be remembered using the mnemonic of the acceptor is the alcohol. A glycosyl acceptor can be a mono- or oligosaccharide that contains an available nucleophile, such as an unprotected hydroxyl.

In organic chemistry, pyranose is a collective term for saccharides that have a chemical structure that includes a six-membered ring consisting of five carbon atoms and one oxygen atom (a heterocycle). There may be other carbons external to the ring. The name derives from its similarity to the oxygen heterocycle pyran, but the pyranose ring does not have double bonds. A pyranose in which the anomeric −OH (hydroxyl group) at C(l) has been converted into an OR group is called a pyranoside.