--- title: "Fischer projections and D/L Template | MolDraw" url: https://www.moldraw.com/templates/stereo-fischer-dl/ description: "Fischer projections and D/L template: D- and L-glyceraldehyde and L- and D-alanine in Fischer projection, what the cross means in 3D (horizontal = wedge…" lang: en publisher: Scidart Academy generated: 2026-10-28 --- [MolDraw](https://www.moldraw.com/) › [Templates](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/) › [Stereochemistry](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/stereochemistry/) › Fischer projections and D/L [Stereochemistry](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/stereochemistry/)Premium # Fischer projections and D/L template ![Fischer projections and D/L template: D- and L-glyceraldehyde and L- and D-alanine in Fischer projection, what the cross means in 3D (horizontal = wedge, vertical = hash), and how D/L relates to R/S.](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/stereo-fischer-dl.webp) [Edit in MolDraw](https://www.moldraw.com/)Download with Pro Premium template. Preview and edit it free in MolDraw; downloading and exporting it is part of [MolDraw Pro](https://www.moldraw.com/pricing). D- and L-glyceraldehyde and L- and D-alanine in Fischer projection, what the cross means in 3D (horizontal = wedge, vertical = hash), and how D/L relates to R/S. ## What the template shows - Horizontal bonds come toward you, vertical bonds go away: glyceraldehyde and alanine - Reading a Fischer projection - What the cross means (D-glyceraldehyde) - horizontal = wedges, vertical = hashes - Draw the carbon chain vertically with the most oxidised carbon (CHO, COOH) at the top. Each cross is a stereocentre: horizontal groups point toward you, vertical groups away. - D: the OH (or NH₂) on the lowest stereocentre points right; L: left. D/L compares a molecule with D-glyceraldehyde, not with the sign of rotation. - D/L and R/S are separate systems: D-glyceraldehyde is (R), L-alanine is (S), but L-cysteine is (R). - Natural sugars are D; the amino acids in proteins are L. - Wedge = toward you, hash = away from you · every part of this figure is editable Drawn with 6 atoms, 56 shapes – every one editable in MolDraw. ## Sources - [Clayden, Greeves & Warren, Organic Chemistry, 2nd ed., OUP 2012, ch. 14](https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9780199270293) Textbook - [Eliel & Wilen, Stereochemistry of Organic Compounds, Wiley 1994, ch. 5](https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9780471016700) Textbook - [Favre & Powell, Nomenclature of Organic Chemistry: IUPAC Recommendations and Preferred Names 2013, RSC 2014, P-9](https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9780854041824) IUPAC ## How to use this template 1. Press **Edit in MolDraw**. The template opens on the canvas of the free MolDraw editor. 2. Change anything: move structures, edit atoms and labels, recolour highlights or delete what you do not need. 3. Add your own structures, arrows and text next to it, or combine several templates on one page. 4. Export the drawing as PNG, SVG or PDF for slides, worksheets, theses and papers. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is the Fischer projections and D/L template free? You can preview the Fischer projections and D/L template here and open and edit it in MolDraw for free. Downloading or exporting it is part of MolDraw Pro, together with the other premium templates. ### Can I edit the Fischer projections and D/L template? Yes. It opens as an ordinary MolDraw drawing, so every structure, arrow, label and colour can be changed, and you can add your own content around it. ### Is the chemistry checked? Every structure is checked with RDKit and every curly arrow passes MolDraw’s electron-flow audit. The sources used are listed on this page. ### Are the R/S labels in the stereochemistry templates checked? Yes. Every R/S and E/Z descriptor is computed with RDKit from the drawn structure, so the labels match the wedges and dashes. ## More stereochemistry templates [**Assigning R and S**Free · Stereochemistry](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/stereo-rs-assignment/)[**Newman projections: butane**Free · Stereochemistry](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/stereo-newman-butane/)[**Cyclohexane chair and ring flip**Free · Stereochemistry](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/stereo-chair-ring-flip/)[**CIP priority rules**Premium · Stereochemistry](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/stereo-cip-rules/)[**E/Z and cis/trans alkenes**Premium · Stereochemistry](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/stereo-ez-alkenes/)[**Enantiomers and diastereomers**Premium · Stereochemistry](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/stereo-enantiomers-diastereomers/)[**Meso compounds: 2,3-dibromobutane**Premium · Stereochemistry](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/stereo-meso-dibromobutane/)[**Tartaric acid stereoisomers**Premium · Stereochemistry](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/stereo-tartaric-acid/) ## Related pages [**Chirality & R/S Configuration Worksheet**Free printable worksheet](https://www.moldraw.com/educational-materials/chirality-rs-worksheet/)[**Structural Isomers & Stereoisomers Worksheet**Free printable worksheet](https://www.moldraw.com/educational-materials/isomers-worksheet/)[**All Stereochemistry templates**17 templates](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/stereochemistry/)[**All chemistry templates**370 templates in 29 categories](https://www.moldraw.com/templates/) MolDraw Pro Download all 370 templates - Export the 291 premium templates as PNG, SVG or PDF - AI chemistry assistant - Structure scanning from images - Cloud save and teaching slides [See Pro plans](https://www.moldraw.com/pricing) Free templates stay free. 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