What is the difference between deoxyribose and ribose?
Ribose and deoxyribose are simple sugars found in living things. Spotting the difference between deoxyribose and ribose structure can be quite difficult.
The core difference between deoxyribose and ribose is that ribose is a pentose monosaccharide found on RNA while deoxyribose is a monosaccharide that participates in the formation of DNA.
What Is Deoxyribose?
Deoxyribose is a simple sugar that participates in the formation of DNA. It has a chemical formula of C5H10O4. The simple sugar is formed after the loss of oxygen atom.
The simple sugar has two enantiomers such as D-2-deoxyribose and L-2-deoxyribose. D-2-deoxyribose occurs in nature and it is the main precursor of the nucleic acid DNA.
What Is Ribose?
Ribose is an organic compound found in the RNA. It has a chemical formula of C5H10O5. The two enantiomers are D-ribose and L-ribose. D-ribose is responsible to occur in nature where ribose β-D-ribofuranose is responsible for RNA formation.
Read More: Difference between Reducing and Non-Reducing Sugar
Comparison Chart: Deoxyribose Vs Ribose
| Basic Terms | Deoxyribose | Ribose |
| Meaning | It is a monosaccharide used in the formation of DNA | It is a pentose sugar found in the RNA |
| Chemical Formula | C5H10O4 | C5H10O5 |
| Molar Mass | 134.13 g·mol−1 | 150.13 g/mol |
| IUPAC name | 2-deoxy-D-ribose | (2S,3R,4S,5R)-5-(hydroxymethyl)oxolane-2,3,4-triol |
| History | Discovered in 1929 by Phoebus Levene | Discovered in 1891 by Emil Fischer |
| Alternative Name | 2-deoxy-D-erythro-pentose, thymine | D-Ribose |
| Structure | Hydroxyl (OH) group at position 2 | Hydrogen (H) atom at position 2 |
| Found in | DNA | RNA |
| Biological importance | The main backbone of DNA | The main backbone of RNA |
Core Differences between Deoxyribose and Ribose
- Deoxyribose has a chemical formula of C5H10O4 while that of ribose is C5H10O5
- The IUPAC name of deoxyribose is 2-deoxy-D-ribose while that of ribose is (2S,3R,4S,5R)-5-(hydroxymethyl)oxolane-2,3,4-triol
- The structure of deoxyribose has hydroxyl (OH) group at position 2 while that of ribose has a hydrogen (H) atom at position 2
- The molar mass of deoxyribose is 134.13 g/mol while ribose is 150.13 g/mol
- The alternative name of deoxyribose is 2-deoxy-D-erythro-pentose while that of ribose is D-Ribose
- Deoxyribose was discovered in 1929 by Phoebus Levene while ribose was discovered in 1891 Emil Fischer
- Deoxyribose is found in DNA while ribose is found in RNA
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Comparison Video
Summary
The main difference between ribose and deoxyribose is that ribose is a simple sugar found in RNA while deoxyribose is a monosaccharide used in genetic formation. The nucleic acids found in deoxyribose and ribose are quite vital for living organisms.