Difference between Deoxyribose and Ribose: Definition and Sample Questions

Content Curator

Difference between deoxyribose and ribose lies in their structure and the components of which they are made. Both Deoxyribose and ribose are simple sugars found inside the human body but they form different components of our body. Deoxyribose and ribose are the sugars that form the nucleic material in our body. In deoxyribose and ribose the nucleotides help in the formation of the nucleic acid acting as its building blocks and aids them in carrying various genetic information. Ribose has pentose sugar consisting of five atoms of carbon, deoxyribose has pentose sugar for DNA.

Table of Content

What is Deoxyribose
What is Ribose
Difference between Deoxyribose and Ribose
Things to Remember
Sample Questions

Key Takeaways: Deoxyribose, Ribose, Monosaccharides, DNA, Sugar

Read More: Montreal Protocol

What is Deoxyribose?

Deoxyribose is a monosaccharide sugar that is a prime constituent in the building blocks of our DNA molecules and strands. It is made up of 5 carbons and is derived from ribose sugar. Deoxyribose plays a major role in the formation of the double helix structure of the DNA.

Deoxyribose

The chemical formula of Deoxyribose is denoted by H-(C=O)-(CH₂)-(CHOH)₃-H. It has five carbons present in it. It also has an aldehyde (CHO) group attached to it. Hence it belongs to the aldopentose family. Deoxyribose plays an important role in our body because it is present in DNA and they are the building blocks of our chromosomes in the nucleus of the cell.

Read More:

Phosphorus Cycle	Saddle Joints

What is Ribose?

Ribose is also a monosaccharide sugar that is a prime constituent of RNA present in our body. Ribose also contains 5 carbons. But the difference between Deoxyribose and ribose in structure is that ribose contains one extra oxygen. The chemical formula of ribose is H-(C=O)-(CHOH)₄-H. An aldehyde group is attached to the end of the ring in open form.

Ribose

The combination of ribose sugar and nitrogenous base forms ribonucleoside and when attached to the phosphate group forms ribonucleotide. These are responsible for the encoding, decoding, and expression of the genes.

Read More:

Single Cell Protein	Difference Between Arteries and Veins?

Difference between Deoxyribose and Ribose

Although Deoxyribose and ribose are both monosaccharide sugars found in our body, they are different from each other. The difference between Deoxyribose and ribose lies in many facts. Some of the main difference between Deoxyribose and ribose are listed below:

The prime difference between Deoxyribose and ribose is its molecular structure. Deoxyribose has the structure H−(C=O)−(CH₂)−(CHOH)₃−H and ribose has the structure H−(C=O)−(CHOH)₄−H.
In its structural formula Ribose has a hydrogen atom attached to its molecule at position 2 while Deoxyribose has a hydroxyl (OH) group attached.
Another difference between Deoxyribose and ribose is that Ribose combines with various nitrogenous bases like adenine, guanine, cytosine and uracil to form ribonucleoside but Deoxyribose forms deoxyribonucleotides by combining with adenine, guanine, thymine and cytosine.

Read More:

Birth Control	Mycology

Comparison Chart

This table contains the difference between Deoxyribose and ribose in the form of chart:

	Deoxyribose	Ribose
Definition	It is a monosaccharide sugar that is an important constituent of DNA.	It is a monosaccharide sugar that helps in the formation of RNA.
Chemical formula	C₅H₁₀O₄	C₅H₁₀O₅
IUPAC name	2-deoxy-D-erythro-pentose	(2S,3R,4S,5R)-5-(hydroxymethyl)oxolane-2,3,4-triol
Molar mass	134.13 g/mol	150.13 g/mol
Alternative name	2-deoxy-D-erythro-pentose, thymine	D-Ribose
Structure	Hydroxyl (OH) group at position 2	Hydrogen (H) atom at position 2
Biological importance	Backbone of DNA	Backbone of RNA

Points to Remember

Deoxyribose and ribose are monosaccharide sugars that form important constituents of our body.
The main difference between Deoxyribose and ribose is their molecular structure.
Deoxyribose has the structure H−(C=O)−(CH₂)−(CHOH)₃−H and ribose has the structure H−(C=O)−(CHOH)₄−H.
Another important difference between Deoxyribose and ribose is that Deoxyribose forms an important constituent of DNA and ribose forms an important constituent of RNA.
The chemical formula of Deoxyribose is C₅H₁₀O₄ while that of ribose is C₅H₁₀O₅
The IUPAC name of Ribose is (2S, 3R, 4S, 5R)-5-(hydroxymethyl) oxolane-2, 3, 4-triol. Deoxyribose has the IUPAC name 2-deoxy-D-erythro-pentose

Also Read:

Transcription	Lac Operon
DNA Fingerprinting	Human Genome Project

Sample Questions

Ques 1. Write some important differences between Deoxyribose and ribose? (4 marks)

Ans. There are many differences between Deoxyribose and ribose. The differences are as follows:

Deoxyribose has the structure H−(C=O)−(CH₂)−(CHOH)₃−H and ribose has the structure H−(C=O)−(CHOH)₄−H.
Ribose has a hydrogen atom attached to its carbon at position 2 while Deoxyribose has a hydroxyl (OH) group attached.
Ribose combines with various nitrogenous bases like adenine, guanine, cytosine and uracil to form ribonucleoside but Deoxyribose forms deoxyribonucleotides by combining with adenine, guanine, thymine and cytosine.
Ribose has the IUPAC name of (2S, 3R, 4S, 5R)-5-(hydroxymethyl) oxolane-2, 3, 4-triol. Deoxyribose has the IUPAC name 2-deoxy-D-erythro-pentose.

Ques 2. What is its importance in our body? (3 marks)

Ans. Deoxyribose is a monosaccharide sugar that is present in our body and is an important constituent of our body. It is important for our body because of the following reasons:

It forms an important part of our DNA. It is the backbone of the double helical structure of DNA.
It is also the building block of the chromosomes present in our nucleus.
Deoxyribose forms deoxyribonucleotides by combining with adenine, guanine, thymine and cytosine.

Ques 3. What is ribose and why is it important? (4 marks)

Ans. Ribose is another monosaccharide sugar that is present in our body. It is an important constituent of our body because:

The combination of ribose sugar and nitrogenous base forms ribonucleoside
These ribonucleoside when attached to phosphate group forms ribonucleotide
Ribonucleotides are responsible for the encoding, decoding, and expression of the genes.

Read More:

Symbiosis Definition	Vermiculture

Ques 4. Highlight the structural difference between Deoxyribose and ribose? (5 marks)

Ans. The structural differences between Deoxyribose and ribose are as follows:

Deoxyribose has the structure H−(C=O)−(CH₂)−(CHOH)₃−H and ribose has the structure H−(C=O)−(CHOH)₄−H.
The chemical formula of Deoxyribose is C₅H₁₀O₄ while that of ribose is C₅H₁₀O₅
Ribose has a hydrogen atom attached to its carbon at position 2 while Deoxyribose has a hydroxyl (OH) group attached.
The aldehyde group attached to the end of the ring in Deoxyribose is in closed form and in ribose it is in open form.
The molar mass of a ribose molecule is 150.13 g/mol while the molar mass of a Deoxyribose molecule is 134.13 g/mol

Ques 5. Write the IUPAC name of Deoxyribose and ribose. (2 marks)

Ans. Deoxyribose has the IUPAC name 2-deoxy-D-erythro-pentose

And the IUPAC name of ribose is (2S, 3R, 4S, 5R)-5-(hydroxymethyl) oxolane-2, 3, 4-triol.

Ques 6. What is Deoxyribose? (2 marks)

Ans. Deoxyribose is a monosaccharide sugar that is a prime constituent in the building blocks of our DNA molecules and strands. It is made up of 5 carbons and is derived from ribose sugar. Deoxyribose plays a major role in the formation of the double helix structure of the DNA.

Ques 7. What is ribose? (2 marks)

Ans. Ribose is also a monosaccharide sugar that is a prime constituent of RNA present in our body. Ribose also contains 5 carbons. But the difference between Deoxyribose and ribose in structure is that ribose contains one extra oxygen.

Also Read: