"Ribose is an organic compound with the formula C5H10O5; specifically, a monosaccharide (simple sugar) with 
linear form H–(C=O)–(CHOH)4–H, which has all the hydroxyl groups on the same side in the Fischer projection."
"D-Ribose was first reported in 1891 by Emil Fischer. It is a C'-2 carbon enantiomer of the sugar D-arabinose (both isomers of which are named for their source, gum arabic) and ribose itself is named as a transposition of the name of arabinose."
"Ribose comprises the backbone of RNA, a biopolymer that is the basis of genetic transcription. It is related to deoxyribose, as found in DNA. Once phosphorylated, ribose can become a subunit of ATP, NADH, and several other compounds that are critical to metabolism like the secondary messengers cAMP and cGMP."