Nucleosides are a general term for a class of glycosides. They are components of nucleic acids and nucleotides. Nucleosides are formed by the condensation of D-ribose or D-Z-deoxyribose with pyrimidine or purine bases. Nucleosides are generally colorless crystals, insoluble in common organic solvents, but readily soluble in hot water.
Nucleosides can be prepared by hydrolyzing nucleic acids. Ribonucleotides can be obtained by hydrolyzing RNA with pyridine aqueous solution, alumina, or enzymatic hydrolysis; deoxyribonucleotides can be obtained by hydrolyzing DNA with alumina or enzymatic hydrolysis.