Absolute configuration in a Fischer projection: a simple approach

Abstract

First year undergraduates find it hard to assign absolute configuration to a chiral center when the lowest priority group is either to the left or right of the horizontal line.

Push, Pivot, and Pull Your Way to Converting Fischer Projections into Staggered Bond-Line Structures

“…Students can have difficulty with the different representations and become lost in the sea of molecular representations, , and by the time Fischer projections are introduced they are doing their best just to stay afloat. The Fischer projection is often a molecular representation students have additional trouble understanding when translating to or from another representation. , Therefore, knowledge that Fischer projections can easily be used to determine the absolute configuration of stereogenic centers, − in addition to comprehension of their relationship to Haworth projections − and bond-line structures, − is often unrealized.…”

Conformational Tug of War: A Technique for Converting Bond-Line Structures into Fischer Projections

“…Nobel Laureate Emil Fischer developed his namesake projections during his study of carbohydrates to aid in the structural analyses of stereoisomeric sugars. , His contribution to organic chemistry is still taught in classrooms around the world, through Fischer projections, enabling students to explore countless classes of organic compounds via conformational analysis and stereochemistry. − There are a plethora of publications regarding methodologies that use these projections, which represent a molecule in an entirely eclipsed conformation, to assign ( R )- or ( S )-configurations to stereogenic centers. − Several articles have also been published describing the interconversion of Fischer and Haworth projections. − However, the literature is less abundant in articles highlighting the conversion of Fischer projections into bond-line representations, , or the inverse transformation , to be discussed herein.…”

Bird-in-the-Hand Method for Determination of Absolute Configuration in Fischer Projections

“…To dispel confusion, many methods have been developed to help students determine the absolute configuration of chiral molecules and Fischer projections (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13). Some focus on geometric or rotating techniques (6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12); others use the hands as three-dimensional molecular models to help visualize Fischer projections (1)(2)(3)(4)(5). It is up to the student to choose the technique that fits his or her own strengths the best.…”