A 'Haworth projection' is a common way of representing the cyclic structure of
monosaccharides with a simple three-dimensional perspective.
The Haworth projection was named after the English chemist Sir
Walter N. Haworth.
A Haworth projection has the following characteristics:
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Carbon is the implicit type of atom. In the example on the right, the atoms numbered from 1 to 6 are all carbon atoms. Carbon 1 is known as the
Anomeric Carbon.
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Hydrogen atoms on carbon are implicit. In the example, atoms 1 to 6 have extra hydrogen atoms not depicted.
★ A thicker line indicates atoms that are closer to the observer. In the example on the right, atoms 2 and 3 (and their corresponding OH groups) are the closest to the observer, atoms 1 and 4 are further from the observer and finally the remaining atoms (5, etc.) are the furthest.
See also
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Fischer projection
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Newman projection
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Natta projection