why are 2 cyclic isomers of glucose formed
1 The two forms are sometimes described as  anomers  since they are isomers at the anomeric center. 2  To assign the cyclic form of a carbohydrate as the Î±- or Î²- form look at the relative positions of the-CH 2 OH group and-OH (or-OR) group at the anomeric center. In the Î²- form, the exocyclic O group at the anomeric center is on the same face as the-CH 2 OH group. 2  If a mixture of the Î±- and Î²- anomers are present, then this is often represented by using a wavy line to represent the bond: