Fischer projection of carbohydrates

The most important application of the Fischer projection is that of the illustration of molecules containing several asymmetric carbon atoms which are part of a continuous carbon chain. In the case of carbohydrates, for example, the carbon chain is arranged in an overall eclipsed conformation, so that the chain is arch-shaped and is assumed to lie on a convex surface. The flattening of this surface onto the illustration plane yields the Fischer projection of the carbohydrate molecule.

Fig.1