Definition of Mutarotation



Mutarotation is the change that occurs in the specific rotation of the chiral compounds. This rotation occurs due to the phenomenon of epimerization. The equilibrium is changed between the two anomers when the stereocenters are interconverted. Mutarotation is a widely used term in the field of carbohydrate chemistry. The sugars which are composed of cyclic structures do interconvert and this optical rotation depends on the extent of each anomer to show rotation and their concentration in the solution.

 


Example of Mutarotation:

Take an example of glucose molecules having two isomers i.e. alpha and beta isomers. In the presence of aqueous solution and plane-polarized light, the glucose molecules open up and when they form the cycle again, the molecule interconverts between alpha and beta forms.


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