CHOCHOHCHOHCH2OH

CHOCHOHCHOHCH2OH is a condensed structural formula for an aldotetrose, a four-carbon aldose. The molecule places an aldehyde group at carbon 1 (CHO), followed by two consecutive chiral carbons bearing hydroxyl groups (CHOH at C2 and C3), and a terminal primary alcohol at C4 (CH2OH). This skeleton corresponds to two diastereomeric families, erythrose and threose, each of which exists as two enantiomers (D- and L-), giving four stereoisomers in total: D-erythrose, L-erythrose, D-threose, and L-threose. The systematic name for this carbon backbone is 2,3-dihydroxybutanal.

Stereochemistry and naming: The erythrose and threose designations refer to the relative configuration of the two hydroxyl-bearing stereocenters. Erythrose and threose are the two diastereomeric forms of the aldotetrose, with the D/L descriptors indicating the absolute configuration of the chiral centers in a Fischer projection or equivalent convention.

Occurence and uses: As a simple carbohydrate, this four-carbon sugar is used as a model compound in carbohydrate chemistry and enzymology. Its phosphorylated derivative, erythrose-4-phosphate, is an important metabolic intermediate that links the pentose phosphate pathway to the biosynthesis of aromatic amino acids in microbes and plants.

Summary: CHOCHOHCHOHCH2OH denotes a four-carbon aldose with two stereogenic centers, representing the aldotetrose family. It exists as erythrose and threose diastereomers, each with D- and L- enantiomers, and serves as a basic reference in studies of carbohydrate structure and metabolism.