Anomeric carbon

Definition
noun
The carbon at which anomers rotate.
Supplement
An example of anomeric carbon is that carbon in a monosaccharide (like glucose) about which rotation occurs. The anomeric carbon can be determined by the carbon (C) attached to two oxygen (O) atoms joined by single bonds. This rotation brings about two distinct configurations, α and β -anomers. Carbohydrates can then change spontaneously between the α and β configurations: a process known as mutarotation.