Final answer:
A five carbon sugar is a monosaccharide that contains five carbon atoms and is found in nucleic acids. Examples include ribose and deoxyribose.
Step-by-step explanation:
A five carbon sugar is a monosaccharide that contains five carbon atoms in its structure. Two examples of five carbon sugars found in nucleic acids are ribose and deoxyribose. Both have a cyclic form with a hydroxyl group at the anomeric position. Five-carbon sugars, or pentoses, are crucial components of nucleic acids like DNA and RNA. Ribose and deoxyribose are common examples.
Their distinctive features include a five-carbon backbone, where each carbon is attached to a hydroxyl group. In RNA, the 2' carbon of ribose contains a hydroxyl group, distinguishing it from deoxyribose in DNA. The arrangement of these carbons and hydroxyl groups contributes to the unique structure and function of these essential building blocks in genetic materials.