Which sugar is found in DNA?

The sugar found in DNA is deoxyribose. This five-carbon sugar is a key component of the DNA backbone, along with phosphate groups. Deoxyribose differs from ribose, which is found in RNA, by lacking an oxygen atom at the 2' carbon position. This structural difference is crucial, as it contributes to the stability and double-helix structure of DNA compared to the more reactive single-stranded structure of RNA.

Glucose and fructose, while important carbohydrates involved in energy metabolism, are not components of DNA or RNA. Their structures and functions are distinctly different from the sugars needed for nucleic acid formation, making them irrelevant in the context of DNA structure. Thus, deoxyribose is the sugar specifically identified with DNA.