ribose

[ rahy-bohs ]

noun

, Biochemistry.

1. a white, crystalline, water-soluble, slightly sweet solid, C 5 H 1 0 O 5 , a pentose sugar obtained by the hydrolysis of RNA.

ribose

/ ˈraɪbəʊz; -bəʊs /

noun

1. biochem a pentose sugar that is an isomeric form of arabinose and that occurs in RNA and riboflavin. Formula: CH 2 OH(CHOH) 3 CHO

ribose

/ rī′bōs′ /

1. A pentose sugar with a furanose structure that occurs as a component of riboflavin and RNA. Chemical formula: C 5 H 10 O 5 .

Word History and Origins

Origin of ribose¹

1890–95; < German Ribose, earlier Ribonsäure, equivalent to Ribon (from Arabinose arabinose, by arbitrary rearrangement and shortening) + Säure acid

Word History and Origins

Origin of ribose¹

C20: changed from arabinose

Example Sentences

Glavin’s team will also search for even more complex organic molecules, such as peptides—short segments of proteins—and sugars, like ribose, that are used by life.

From Science Magazine

Sutherland and his colleagues therefore sought more likely ways to make ribose sugars and ribonucleosides.

From Scientific American

“It is remarkable that a molecule as fragile as ribose could be detected in such ancient material,” Jason Dworkin, one of the study's co-authors, pointed out.

From Fox News

The next major problem Carell wants to tackle is what reactions could have formed the sugar ribose, which needs to link to nucleobases before RNA can form.

From Nature

The University of New Mexico and Los Alamos National Laboratory are partnering on a research project studying interactions of boron and ribose in groundwater on Mars.

From Washington Times