Question

What is the structural difference between the pentose sugars in DNA and RNA?

Answer 1

Each nucleic acid has a 5-carbon (pentose sugar as a part of its polymer backbone. For DNA this sugar is deoxyribose, while for RNA it's ribose: CH OH OH CH2OH OH V 2 ОН ОН Ribose OH 2-deoxyribose Notice the numbering convention here. F now, since there are no attachments to these sugars, the carbons are numbered : through 5. Later, when we attach the bas the sugar carbon numbers will change to through 5'. The difference between ribose and deoxyribose is the presence of the OH on the 2 (2') position. DNA is 2'-deoxy. This is critical to understanding the chemistry o: these two polymers. Because of this difference, RNA is an inherently less stable molecule than DNA For instance, RNA can readily be hydrolyzed at high pH (> 8.0). The reactio involves the 2' OH group of the polymer.