What is the difference between a ribonucleotide and a deoxyribonucleotide?
A) Ribonucleotides contain a phosphate group.
B) Ribonucleotides have a hydroxyl group on the 2 carbon of their sugar subunit.
C) Ribonucleotides contain a sugar with five carbon atoms.
D) Ribonucleotides have a hydrogen atom on the 1 carbon of their sugar subunit.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Ribonucleotides have a hydroxyl group (-OH) on the 2' carbon of their sugar subunit (ribose), whereas deoxyribonucleotides, the building blocks of DNA, lack this hydroxyl group at the 2' position, having only a hydrogen atom there, hence the prefix "deoxy-".

What Is the Difference Between a Ribonucleotide and a Deoxyribonucleotide