FORMULA C5H10O5
MOL WT. 150.13
H.S. CODE
2933.59
TOXICITY
SYNONYMS D-(-)-Ribose; Rib; Pentose;
PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL PROPERTIES
PHYSICAL STATE white to off-white crystalline powder
MELTING POINT 88 - 92 C
STABILITY Stable under ordinary conditions. Hygroscopic.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION & APPLICATIONS
Ribose is a pentose (five-carbon sugar) that is a component of the ribonucleic acid (RNA), where it alternates with phosphate groups to form the 'back-bone' of the RNA polymer and binds to nitrogenous bases. Ribose phosphates are components of the nucleotide coenzymes and are utilized by microorganisms in the synthesis of the amino acid histidine. Its close relative, deoxyribose, is a constituent of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), where it alternates with phosphate groups to form the 'back-bone' of the DNA polymer and binds to nitrogenous bases. The presence of deoxyribose instead of ribose is one difference between DNA and RNA. Ribose has one more oxygen atom in its molecule than deoxyribose. Ribose has a five member ring composed of four carbon atoms and one oxygen. Hydroxyl groups are attached to three of the carbons. The other carbon and a hydroxyl group are attached to one of the carbon atoms adjacent to the oxygen. In dexoyribose, the carbon furthest from the attached carbon is stripped of the oxygen atom in what would be a hydroxyl group in ribose. The sugar (ribose or deoxyribose) molecules in the nucleic acid are all oriented in the same direction. Their carbon atoms are numbered: the 5' carbon atom is always on the side of the sugar molecule that faces the leading end, while the 3' carbon atom always faces the tail end. Nucleotide is the structural unit of a nucleic acid. A nucleotide consists of either a nitrogenous heterocyclic base (purine or pyrimidine) , a pentose sugar (ribose or deoxyribose) and a phosphate group attached at the 5' position on the sugar. A nucleoside consists of only a pentose sugar linked to a purine or pyrimidine base, without a phosphate group. Purine bases are Adenine, Guanine and Hypoxanthine (examples of purine nucleosides are Adenosine, 2'-Deoxyadenosine, Guanosine, 2'-Deoxyguanosine, Inosine, 2'-Deoxyinosine). Pyrimidine bases are Cytosine, Thymine, and Uracil (examples of pyrimidine nucleosides are Cytidine, 2'-Deoxyguanosine, 5-Methyluridine, 2'-Deoxy-5-Methyluridine, Uridine, 2'-Deoxyuridine). The nucleoside derivatives are involved in important functions in cellular metabolism and are used to synthesize enzyme inhibitors, antiviral agents, and anticancer agents.