epimer

[ep-uh-mer]

noun Chemistry.

either of a pair of isomeric aldose compounds, especially of certain sugars, that differ from each other in the positions of the H and OH at the second atom from the end of the carbon chain, as d-glucose and d-mannose.

Also e·pim·er·ide

[uh-pim-uh-rahyd] /əˈpɪm əˌraɪd/.

Origin of epimer

First recorded in 1910–15; epi- + -mer

Related formsep·i·mer·ic

[ep-uh-mer-ik] /ˌɛp əˈmɛr ɪk/, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

epimeric in Medicine

epimer

[ĕp′ə-mər]

n.

One of two molecules that differ only in the spatial arrangement around a single carbon atom.