While monosaccharides can vary by the number of carbons available, there can be several different physical arrangements of sugars with the same molecular formula. Molecules with the same molecular formula but various spatial arrangements of atoms are known as isomers. For example, glucose is a hexose sugar (a monosaccharide containing 6 carbons, C6H12O6). In an aqueous solution, glucose develops into a ringed molecule which can orient in two different ways: α-glucose and β-glucose.