The FR converts formaldehyde and an ancillary precursor reactant (generally an enolizable aldose) into a variety of sugars and sugar-related products . The FR has been implicated as having been important for the origin of ribose for RNA World origins of life models , and as a source of compounds detected in carbonaceous meteorites . The interpretation of the mechanism of the reaction and its import has been discussed for decades , but previous discussions have likely missed important nuances of how the reaction proceeds, and it is important to bring new analytical methods to bear to understand how the reaction proceeds and what its outcomes are .