What is the exact number of chiral carbon atoms present in the naturally occurring cyclic furanose forms of the sugar moieties of RNA and DNA, respectively?

Step-by-step solution

The sugar moiety in RNA is -D-ribofuranose. In its cyclic structure, the carbon atoms C-1, C-2, C-3, and C-4 are each attached to four different groups, making them chiral centers. C-5 is a -CH₂OH group and is achiral. Thus, there are 4 chiral carbons in the RNA sugar. The sugar moiety in DNA is -D-2-deoxyribofuranose. The structure is similar to ribofuranose, but the hydroxyl group at C-2 is replaced by a hydrogen atom. This makes C-2 a -CH₂- group, which is achiral because it is attached to two identical hydrogen