Question

Erythronolide B is the biological precursor of erythromycin, a broadspectrumantibiotic. How many chirality centers does erythronolide Bhave? Identify them.

Short answer

The ten chiral centers of erythronolide B are shown as follows:

Chiral centers of erythronolide B

Step-by-step solution

Chiral Center

The chiral center is also known as:

• Asymmetric carbon
• Asymmetric center

The chiral center (represented by *) has the “tetrahedral geometry” four sigma bonds are joining the four different groups around it, shown as follows:

Chirality center in erythronolide B

Erythronolide Bis the biological precursor of erythromycin, a broadspectrum antibioticwith ten carbonhybridized and attached to four different groups; thus,erythronolide B has ten chiral centers (represented by *).

The ten chiral centers of erythronolide B are shown as follows:

Chiral centers of erythronolide B