What type of carbohydrate is ribose?

Ribose is classified as a monosaccharide, which is the simplest form of carbohydrate. Monosaccharides are single sugar units that cannot be hydrolyzed into simpler sugars. Ribose, specifically, is a five-carbon sugar (pentose) that plays a crucial role in the structure of nucleotides and nucleic acids, such as RNA.

In contrast, other types of carbohydrates, such as disaccharides, are formed by the combination of two monosaccharide units and require hydrolysis to break down into their constituent monosaccharides. Oligosaccharides consist of a few (typically 2-10) monosaccharide units linked together, while polysaccharides are larger carbohydrates composed of many monosaccharide units. Thus, ribose, being a single sugar unit with important biological functions, is correctly identified as a monosaccharide.