ribose n : a pentose sugar important as a component of ribonucleic acid

English

Noun

1. A naturally occurring pentose sugar, which is a component of the nucleosides and nucleotides that comprise the nucleic acid biopolymer, RNA. It is also found in riboflavin.

See also

• RNA
• ribonucleic acid
• nucleoside
• nucleotide

Ribose (ɹˈaɪbəʊs, ɹˈaɪbəɹʊs), primarily seen as D-ribose, is an aldopentose — a monosaccharide containing five carbon atoms, and including an aldehyde functional group in its linear form. It has the chemical formula 5105, and was discovered in 1905 by Phoebus Levene.

As a component of the RNA that is used for genetic transcription, ribose is critical to living creatures. It is related to deoxyribose, which is a component of DNA. It is also a component of ATP, NADH, and several other chemicals that are critical to metabolism.

Refer to the article on deoxyribose for more information on both sugars, how they relate to each other, and how they relate to genetic material.

Isomerism

D-Ribose has the same configuration at its penultimate carbon atom as D-glyceraldehyde.

See also

• Arabinose
• Deoxyribose
• Lyxose
• Ribulose
• Xylose
• Xylulose
• Formose reaction

References

External links

• D-Ribose on the website of China Greatvista Chemicals