Answer – The sugar found in DNA is deoxyribose.
Explanation:
DNA is one of the most crucial building blocks of life. It is made up of sugar molecules as well as nucleic acids comprising phosphate groups and nitrogen bases.
The sugar in DNA is a 5-carbon (or pentose) sugar known as deoxyribose (or 2-deoxyribose). It alternates with the phosphate groups to form the backbone of DNA. Deoxyribose is obtained from ribose, another pentose sugar which is its counterpart in RNA.
With the formula C₅H₁₀O₄, deoxyribose has a ring-like structure with an aldehyde functional group. Four of its 5 carbon atoms are a part of the ring with an oxygen atom. They are numbered from 1’ to 4’, starting clockwise to the right of the oxygen. The fifth carbon atom, however, branches off the ring. The absence of a hydroxyl group (which is replaced by a hydrogen atom) at the 2’ position gives deoxyribose its name.
The difference in the structures of 2-deoxyribose and ribose is shown below:
