The sugar group in DNA and RNA plays a crucial role in the structure and function of these nucleic acids. Specifically, the primary difference between the two is related to their sugar components.
In DNA, the sugar is deoxyribose, which is a pentose sugar, meaning it has five carbon atoms. In RNA, the sugar is ribose, which also contains five carbon atoms but has an additional hydroxyl group (-OH) attached to the second carbon in the sugar ring. Therefore, one of the significant differences is that the sugar group in DNA has one less hydroxyl group than that in RNA. This difference affects the stability and structure of the nucleic acids. The absence of the hydroxyl group in DNA makes it more stable and less reactive compared to RNA, which is more versatile but also more prone to hydrolysis.