Dihydroxyacetone has no chiral carbons.

### Why this is right Dihydroxyacetone has a central carbonyl carbon and two identical terminal hydroxymethyl groups. It therefore has no carbon attached to four different substituents. ### The concept A molecule can have a carbonyl group without having a chiral center. To be chiral, a tetrahedral carbon must have four different attachments. ### Terms - **Dihydroxyacetone**: a three-carbon ketose and the simplest ketose. ### Remember Symmetry and identical substituents can eliminate chirality.