Ribose and deoxyribose are monosaccharides or simple sugars. They are aldopentoses and undergo phosphorylation to form deoxyribonucleotides and ribonucleotides. They are of great biological importance that helps in the formation of a blueprint of an organism that is passed on to generations.
The nucleotides act as the building blocks of nucleic acids and help them to carry genetic information. Pentose sugar for RNA is ribose with 5 carbon atoms. Pentose sugar for DNA is deoxyribose.
Ribose was discovered by Emil Fischer and Oskar Piloty in the year 1891. Deoxyribose was discovered by Phoebus Levene in the year 1929. Some differences between deoxyribose and ribose based on structure, IUPAC name, molar mass, chemical formula, etc., are given below.
Deoxyribose vs Ribose
Following are the major difference between deoxyribose and ribose:
| Deoxyribose | Ribose |
| Chemical formula | |
| C5H10O4 | C5H10O5 |
| IUPAC name | |
| 2-deoxy-D-ribose | (2S,3R,4S,5R)-5-(hydroxymethyl)oxolane-2,3,4-triol |
| Structure | |
| It has a hydrogen (H) atom at position 2 | It has a hydroxyl (OH) group at position 2 |
| Molar mass | |
| 134.13 g/mol | 150.13 g/mol |
| Also known as | |
| 2-deoxy-D-erythro-pentose | D-Ribose |
| Discovery | |
| 1929 by Phoebus Levene | 1891 by Emil Fischer and Oskar Piloty |
| Found in | |
| DNA | RNA |
What is Deoxyribose?
Deoxyribose is an aldopentose sugar with an aldehyde group attached to it. This helps the enzymes present in the living body to differentiate between ribonucleic and deoxyribonucleic acid.
The products of deoxyribose have an important role in Biology. DNA is the main source of genetic information in all life forms. The DNA nucleotides comprise bases such as adenine, thiamine, guanine, and cytosine.
What is Ribose?
Ribose is a pentose sugar with an aldehyde group attached to the end of the chain in an open form. The combination of ribose sugar and nitrogenous base forms ribonucleoside. When attached to a phosphate group, this ribonucleoside gives rise to a ribonucleotide.
It is a regular monosaccharide with one oxygen attached to each carbon atom. Ribose sugar is found in the RNA of living organisms. RNA is responsible for coding and decoding genetic information.
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