Structure of nucleic acids

Structure of ribose sugar and deoxyribose sugar.
Fig. 25.7. Structure of ribose sugar and deoxyribose sugar.
Nucleic acid molecule is a long chain polymer (polynucleotide) composed of monomeric units, called nucleotides. Each nucleotide consists of a nucleoside and a phosphate group and each nucleoside in its turn consists of a sugar molecule and a base. The sugar is ribose in case of RNA and deoxyribose in case of DNA. The structures of ribose and deoxyribose sugars are given in Figure 25.7, which shows that in deoxyribose an oxygen atom is missing at position 2 and hence the name deoxyribose.
Structure of ribose sugar and deoxyribose sugar.
Fig. 25.7. Structure of ribose sugar and deoxyribose sugar.