Calculate the total number of distinct stereoisomers for the acyclic aldohexose D-glucose, whose ope — Isomerism and Stereochemistry Chemistry Question

💡 Solution & Explanation

The open-chain structure of an aldohexose like glucose has structurally different terminal groups ($-CHO$ and $-CH_2OH$), making it an entirely unsymmetrical molecule. It contains $n=4$ distinct chiral centers (C2, C3, C4, C5). For an unsymmetrical system, the total number of stereoisomers is calculated simply as $2^n$. Therefore, $2^4 = 16$.