Ribitol
Ribitol, or adonitol, is a crystalline pentose alcohol formed by the reduction of ribose. It occurs naturally in the plant Adonis vernalis as well as in the cell walls of some Gram-positive bacteria, in the form of ribitol phosphate, in teichoic acids. It also forms part of the chemical structure of riboflavin and flavin mononucleotide, which is a nucleotide coenzyme used by many enzymes, the so-called flavoproteins.
Ribitol is one of four stereoisomers having the formula :
- D-arabitol and L-arabitol
- Ribitol
- Xylitol