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Glyceraldehyde is a simple aldose and the triose sugar with the chemical formula C3H6O3. It exists as two enantiomers, D-glyceraldehyde and L-glyceraldehyde, which are non-superimposable mirror images. As an aldose, its carbonyl group is at the first carbon, and it serves as the smallest member of the family of monosaccharides. In solution, glyceraldehyde can interconvert between its straight-chain form and cyclic hemiacetal forms.

In its straight-chain structure, glyceraldehyde is written as CHO-CHOH-CH2OH. The second carbon is the only stereocenter, giving rise to the D and L configurations. The D isomer is the form typically encountered in biology, while the L isomer is found in some microorganisms and synthetic contexts.

Glyceraldehyde occurs naturally as a metabolic intermediate and can be derived from glycerol or formed during the breakdown of larger carbohydrates. Its phosphorylated derivative, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate, is a central intermediate in glycolysis and the Calvin cycle, linking carbohydrate metabolism to energy production and carbon fixation. As a reducing sugar, glyceraldehyde can participate in redox reactions and serve as a reference in studies of stereochemistry and enzymatic reactions that distinguish enantiomers.

Historically, glyceraldehyde played a key role in the development of stereochemistry. In the 19th century, Louis Pasteur used its D/L enantiomerism to illustrate chirality and establish the concept of optical isomerism, a foundational idea in modern chemistry and biochemistry.