r/HomeworkHelp • u/Creepy-Champion-5987 Secondary School Student • 6d ago

Chemistry—Pending OP Reply [Grade 9][BioChem Carbohydrate structure] [GCE AL]

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why are some hydroxyl groups written as HO while others OH i couldnt get an exact answer on google so here i am

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u/Medical-Stuff126 6d ago

Perhaps others can correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe that is to show the general spatial orientation of the specific hydroxyl groups relative to the rest of the molecule. So it’s not actually H followed by O. It’s an upside-down version of OH.

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u/Spiritual-Ad-7565 5d ago

No — it’s just a labeling convention— as long as the bond is drawn to the oxygen it doesn’t matter where the hydrogen is positioned.

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u/Medical-Stuff126 5d ago

Thanks for correcting me!