[StevenUSF]

When a sugar is in a chair conformation the hydroxyl groups are all equatorial with the exception of the anomeric carbon which can switch between axial and equatorial via a ring opening tautomerization. When going from chair to Haworth how do I know whether the hydroxyl groups are up or down?

I included an attachment showing an example of two alpha anomers and two beta anomers that have the same chair conformation.

[Dan]

Draw in the axial Hs in as well, it will make it much easier to see.

[Babcock_Hall]

When a sugar is in a chair conformation the hydroxyl groups are all equatorial with the exception of the anomeric carbon which can switch between axial and equatorial via a ring opening tautomerization.

One problem with what you wrote is that the all-equatorial statement is only true for glucose, not galactose or mannose, for example.  A second problem is that tautomerizations are isomerizations in which only hydrogen atoms move.

[StevenUSF]

I'm still confused. Here are two different sugars in haworth and their respective chair conformations. The pink -OH is up in each Haworth, but up and down in the two chair conformations. If given a chair, how do I know whether a -OH is up or down in the Haworth? Thank you for helping me

Draw in the axial Hs in as well, it will make it much easier to see.

How do I know if they are axial in the first place? Don't I have to go based on whether the -OH is up or down in the haworth?

[Dan]

Ok, let's start with the basics: can you draw tetrahydropyran in chair conformation showing all the H atoms?

Note that your Haworth-chair conversion for L-glucose is incorrect, but don't worry about that yet, start with tetrahydropyran.