Synthetic procedures and characterization data for compounds not described in the manuscript. 3',5'-Di-O-(tert-butyldimethylsilyl)-O 6 -methyl-2'-deoxyinosine (7a).In a clean, dry reaction vial equipped with a stirring bar were2'-deoxyinosine (5a) (59.8 mg, 0.100 mmol), Cs 2 CO 3 (65.2 mg, 0.200 mmol) and methanol (1.0 mL). The reaction mixture was flushed with N 2 and stirred at room temperature for 1 h after which the mixture was evaporated to dryness. Chromatographic purification (SiO 2 , elution with 20% EtOAc in hexanes) afforded 38.0 mg (77% yield) of the title compound as a clear gum. R f (20%

Facile reduction of alkylamino-, anilino-, and pyridyl-N-oxides can be achieved via the use of diboron reagents, predominantly bis(pinacolato)- and in some cases bis(catecholato)diboron [(pinB)2 and (catB)2, respectively]. Reductions occur upon simply mixing the amine N-oxide and the diboron reagent in a suitable solvent, at a suitable temperature. Extremely fast reductions of alkylamino- and anilino-N-oxides occur, whereas pyridyl-N-oxides undergo slower reduction. The reaction is tolerant of a variety of functionalities such as hydroxyl, thiol, and cyano groups, as well as halogens. Notably, a sensitive nucleoside N-oxide has also been reduced efficiently. The different rates with which alkylamino- and pyridyl-N-oxides are reduced has been used to perform stepwise reduction of the N,N’-dioxide of (S)-(–)-nicotine. Because it was observed that (pinB)2 was unaffected by the water of hydration in amine oxides, the feasibility of using water as solvent was evaluated. These reactions also proceeded exceptionally well, giving high product yields. In constrast to the reactions with (pinB)2, triethylborane reduced alkylamino-N-oxides, but pyridine N-oxide did not undergo efficient reduction even at elevated temperature. Finally, the mechanism of the reductive process by (pinB)2 has been probed by 1H and 11B NMR.

New and unusual developments related to the chemistry of O6-(benzotriazol-1-yl)inosine derivatives are reported. First, a simple, scalable method for their syntheses via the use of PPh3/I2/HOBt has been developed and has been mechanistically investigated by 31P(1H) NMR. Studies were then conducted into a unique oxygen transfer reaction between O6-(benzotriazol-1-yl)inosine nucleosides and bis(pinacolato)diboron (pinB-Bpin) leading to the formation of C-6 (benzotriazol-1-yl)purine nucleoside derivatives and pinB-O-Bpin. This reaction has been investigated by 11B(1H) NMR and compared to pinB-O-Bpin obtained by oxidation of pinB-Bpin. The structures of the C-6 (benzotriazol-1-yl)purine nucleosides have been unequivocally established via Pd-mediated C-N bond formation between bromo purine nucleosides and 1H-benzotriazole. Finally, short and extremely simple synthesis of 1,N6-ethano- and 1,N6-propano-2'-deoxyadenosine are reported in order to demonstrate the synthetic versatility of the O6-(benzotriazol-1-yl)inosine nucleoside derivatives for the assembly of relatively complex compounds.

Polymer-supported O(6)-(benzotriazol-1-yl)inosine derivatives (Pol-I and Pol-dI) have been synthesized reasonably effectively via reaction of nucleoside phosphonium salts with polymer-linked HOBt (Pol-HOBt). In constast to solution chemistry, use of polymer-supported BOP (Pol-BOP) did not lead to efficient nucleoside loading. Presence of the nucleosides on the support could be readily detected by MAS NMR. Exposure of the polymer-supported nucleosides, Pol-I and Pol-dI, to alcohol, phenol, thiol and amine nucleophiles caused cleavage from the support leading directly to the C-6 modified nucleoside analogues. To our knowledge, these are the first examples of the application of such technology for nucleoside modification. Where possible, results of reactions with the polymer-supported nucleosides are compared to those from solution chemistry, providing insight into the differences between the two techniques. These new polymer-supported nucleosides can be conveniently utilized for diversity-oriented synthesis.

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