Ribosomal monophosphates are chemical compounds that constitute the building blocks of ribonucleic acid (RNA) in a cell. Specifically, they refer to the monophosphate esters of ribose, a sugar, linked to one of the four nitrogenous bases found in RNA: adenine, guanine, cytosine, or uracil. These compounds are crucial for protein synthesis as they participate in the formation of ribosomes where translation of genetic information into proteins occurs.