Which element is a common component of ribose and deoxyribose?

Ribose and deoxyribose are both sugars that serve as critical components of nucleotides, which make up RNA and DNA, respectively. These sugars consist of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms. Specifically, both ribose and deoxyribose have several oxygen atoms that are integral to their structure.

In ribose, there are five carbon atoms, and it is a pentose sugar that contains an aldehyde group and hydroxyl groups attached to its carbon skeleton. Deoxyribose, which is similar to ribose but lacks one oxygen atom, has four carbon atoms and is also classified as a pentose sugar. The presence of oxygen is essential in defining the functional groups of these molecules, influencing their reactivity and interaction with other biological molecules.

Thus, highlighting oxygen as a common component of both ribose and deoxyribose is accurate, as it plays a crucial role in their chemical structure and biological functions.