An anomer is a type of stereoisomer and epimer found in carbohydrate chemistry. While an epimer is a stereoisomer that differs in configuration at any single stereogenic center, an anomer is a cyclic saccharide and an epimer that differs in configuration, specifically at the hemiacetal/acetal carbon, also called the anomeric carbon. The anomeric carbon is the carbon derived from the carbonyl carbon (the ketone or aldehyde functional group) of the open-chain form of the carbohydrate molecule. Anomerization is the process of conversion of one anomer to the other.