Difference Between Deoxyribose And Ribose is that ribose is a sugar and the deoxyribose is sugar, but it is a derivative of the ribose due to the loss of an oxygen atom. Deoxyribose is also quite soluble in water and ribose is the same, but in addition to water, it is slightly in alcohol. Deoxyribose is present in DNA, while ribose is present in RNA.
The sugars in the nucleic acids are pentoses; A pentose has five carbon atoms.
The combination of a base and sugar is called a nucleoside.
The ribose found in RNA is a “normal” sugar, with an oxygen atom attached to each carbon atom.
The deoxyribose that is in the DNA is a modified sugar since it lacks an oxygen atom (hence in the name of “deoxy”). This difference from an oxygen atom is important for enzymes to recognize an RNA from DNA.
Both ribose and deoxyribose are sugars and an essential component to providing the energy that our body needs for the functioning of different organs, such as the brain and muscles in general. Despite fulfilling this general function, these types of sugars differ in their molecular structure, so they form key elements for the different nucleic acids.
That is why, in this article, we present the definitions of ribose and deoxyribose to later indicate the differences that arise from them.
Ribose is a polyalcohol (organic elements that have different alcoholic groups), monosaccharide (simple sugar that does not break down into a simpler one) and aldopentose (it has five carbon atoms and an aldehyde functional group) that constitutes one of the main components of ribonucleic acid (RNA) as well as other nucleotide and non-nucleotide elements such as adenosine triphosphate (ATP).
Ribose has five carbon molecules, 10 hydrogen molecules, and five oxygen molecules and is represented by the formula C 5 H 10 O 5. It has a density of 0.80 g cm 3 and a molecular mass of 50.13 g / mol. Sugar (ribose) binds to a phosphate, as well as one of four bases: adenine, guanine, cytosine and uracil and provides the genetic code to create the amino acids that make up the building block of proteins.
On the other hand, ribose, being present in RNA is part of the DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) and is naturally present in food, but only in very small quantities. Its primary dietary source is red meat and it is synthesized in all body cells, although slowly and to varying degrees depending on the tissue.
Deoxyribose is a monosaccharide and aldose (its molecule contains an aldehyde group), a crystalline and colorless, water-soluble solid that is part of the nucleotides that make up the chains of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). Deoxyribose is derived from ribose by the loss of an oxygen atom. Next, deoxyribose lacks an oxygen molecule compared to ribose and is represented by the formula C 5 H 10 O 4.
In the same sense, the lack of the extra oxygen molecule means that it does not have an alcohol bond with one of the carbon molecules. Sugar (deoxyribose) binds to a phosphate and one of four bases: adenine, guanine, cytosine and thymine and is responsible for transmitting the hereditary characteristics of individuals from one generation to another and is also responsible for promoting the synthesis of certain proteins specific.
On the other hand, deoxyribose is found naturally in food, more specifically in beef and is gradually synthesized in body cells.
As you can see, although ribose and deoxyribose are sugars, they differ from each other. These differences can be summarized in the following table:
| Ribose | Deoxyribose |
| Ribose constitutes one of the main components of ribonucleic acid (RNA). | Deoxyribose is one of the main components of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). |
| It is represented by the formula C5H10O5 | It is represented by the formula C5H10O4 |
| It is an aldopentose (it has five carbon atoms and an aldehyde functional group | It is an aldose (its molecule contains an aldehyde group) |
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