Fischer projection
MCAT glossary · MCAT
Definition
2D representation with horizontal bonds projecting toward viewer, vertical bonds away; used for sugars and amino acids.
Fischer projection in plain English
Molecules are 3D, but on paper we need a flat, agreed-upon way to draw them so everyone reads the shape the same way — that's a Fischer projection. The trick is a simple rule about the flat cross you draw: horizontal lines point toward you (out of the page, like arms reaching for you) and vertical lines point away (behind the page). Chemists love it for sugars and amino acids because those have several 'handedness' centers, and this consistent drawing makes it easy to compare which version (which mirror-image) you actually have without building a physical model.
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