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Deoxyribose and Ribose, not carbohydrate?

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Ah Beng:
Dexoyribose (C5 H10 04) and Ribose (C5 H10 O5) are the 'pentose sugars' present in DNA and RNA respectively. By definition, sugars are a subset of carbohydrates. By definition, carbohydrates (= hydrated carbons) always have their ratio of hydrogen to oxygen as 2:1, as in water.

So are Deoxyribose and Ribose, not carbohydrates?

Yggdrasil:
I would classify ribose and deoxyribose as carbohydrates.  Biology is a very inexact science.  Although classifying all compounds with the formula Cn(H2O)n as carbohydrates is a good general rule there are many exceptions.  Derivatives of compounds which follow this rule that are classified as carbohydrates. For example, N-acetylglucosamine (C8H16O6N2) is an important monosaccharide and it is considered a carbohydrate because it is a derivative of glucose.

Ah Beng:
Thanks very much, Yggdrasil! :)

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