What is this? 005

This is a diagram of a molecule.

C represents carbon, O is oxygen and H is hydrogen.

There are 6 oxygens. It is common in organic chemistry to represent carbon atoms by places where line segments connect. Therefore, there is a total of 6 carbons. It is also common to assume that each carbon has 4 bonds and that each bond that is not specifically shown is a connection to a hydrogen atom. Therefore, there are 12 hydrogen atoms represented.

The molecular formula is C₆H₁₂O₆.

The molecular formula, C₆H₁₂O₆, shows that there is the equivalent of a water molecule (H₂O) for each carbon atom. Therefore, this is a carbohydrate. More specifically, this represents a 6-carbon sugar molecule.

Whether the OH’s are above or below the ring of carbons is trying to indicate the 3-dimensional structure of the molecule, which distinguishes between several different sugars.

This is known as a Haworth projection.

This represents a functional group. Specifically, it is an alcohol group. The carbon is bound to the 2 hydrogens as well as the oxygen. The oxygen is also bound to the remaining hydrogen.

-ose is the suffix used to name sugars. Examples include glucose, sucrose, mannose, maltose, cellulose, and fructose.