1. The phenomenon in which two or more compounds have the same molecular formula but differ in the spatial arrangement of atoms around a single stereogenic center, differing only in configuration at one chiral center.
Usage: chemistry; technical; related to stereoisomerism

Examples

• Glucose and mannose exhibit epimerism, differing only in the configuration at the second carbon atom.
• The study of epimerism is important in organic chemistry for understanding sugar structures.
• Epimerism is a specific type of diastereomerism involving a single stereogenic center.
• In biochemistry, epimerism explains why certain sugars have similar properties but different biological activities.