D(-)fructose?

Question

What are the meaning of (-) and D

Answer 1

The D refers to the configurational family of the sugar. Most naturally occurring sugars are in the D family. In the Fisher representation of the structure, the -OH group on the next to the bottom carbon will be on the right side of the carbon chain.

The (-) indicates that a solution of this sugar will rotate polarized light to the left rather than to the right.