Tsann Long Su

Nucleosides. 145. Synthesis of 2,5′-Anhydro-2-Thiouridine and its Conversion to 3′-O-Acetyl-2,2′-Anhydro-5′-Chloro-5′-Deoxy-2-Thiouridine. Studies Directed Toward the Synthesis of 2′-Deoxy-2′-Substituted arabino Nucleosides (7)

Abstract In an attempt to introduce a substituent at C-2′ in the “up” arabino configuration directly by nucleophilic displacement reaction of a preformed pyrimidine ribonucleoside, we synthesized 2,5′-anhydro-5′-deoxy-2-thiouridine (6) in three steps from uridine. Compound 6 was converted into the 3′-O-acetyl derivative 7. Upon treatment of 7 with triflyl chloride in methylene chloride in the presence of triethylamine and p-dimethylaminopyridine, 2,2′-anhydro-1-(3-O-acetyl-5-chloro-2,5-dideoxy-β-D-arabinofuranosyl)-2-thiouracil (9) was obtained as the only isolable product. Obviously, the intermediate 3′-O-acetyl-2,5′-anhydro-2′-O-triflyl-2-thiouridine (8) was attacked by the chloride nucleophile at C-5′ first giving the 2′-O-triflyl-2-thiouridine intermediate from which 9 was formed by intramolecular nucleopilic reaction.