Although ribose can be synthesized by polymerizing HCHO in the FR, its yield is low, and ribose is relatively unstable in aqueous solution . According to Georgelin et al. ribose polymorphs are also unstable in aqueous medium so that a stabilization mechanism has to be invoked. Dass et al. studied the isomerization of ribose by NMR at different temperatures. Using thermodynamic parameters obtained from NMR experiments, Dass et al. showed the enrichment of the more unstable β-furanose isomer in an out-of-equilibrium environment was supported by stationary temperature gradients.