Monoid Isomorphism – Is Every Monoid Isomorphic to Its Opposite?

abstract-algebraexamples-counterexamplesmonoid

This may be a trivial question. Every group is isomorphic to its opposite using the isomorphism that sends $x$ to $x^{-1}$. Now does this hold even if the condition of existence of inverses is dropped. More precisely:

Is every monoid isomorphic to its opposite ?

I am expecting the existence of a counterexample, but I don't have any for now.

Thank you

Best Answer

No. Let $X$ be any finite set with at least two elements, and consider the monoid $\mathrm{End}(X)$, of functions $X \to X$, under composition.

Each constant function $c$ is a left-absorbing element, i.e. $cf = c$ for any $f$. However, there are no right-absorbing elements in the monoid. So $\mathrm{End}(X)$ cannot be isomorphic to its opposite, since any such isomorphism would have to interchange left- and right-absorbing elements.