Ball-and-stick model of ?-D-glucose. The six-membered glucopyranose ring lies in the plane of the screen. The nonpolar C-H bonds are parallel to the axis of the molecule, whereas the polar O-H groups form a belt around the equatorial rim of the disk.

space-filling model. Like the Roman god Janus, the glucose molecule has two faces. The axially oriented C-H bonds provide a flat localized nonpolar environment. Various proteins which bind glucose specifically contain a nonpolar aromatic ring in the binding pocket which interacts with the flat nonpolar surface of glucose, but not other hexoses, all of which have one or more axial hydroxyl groups.