The syntheses of ribonucleosides structurally related to 1-ß-D-ribofuranosyl-1,2,4-triazole-3-carboxamide (1) are described and their antiviral activity is compared with that of 1. Both the acid-catalyzed fusion procedure and glycosylation of the appropriate trimethylsilyl derivative provided 3-cyano-l-(2,3,5-tri-0-acetyl-|3-D-ribofuranosyl)-l,2,4-triazole (4) in 80% yield. ß-D-Ribofuranosyl-l,2,4-triazole-3-thiocarboxamide (2) and 1-ß-D-ribofuranosyl-1,2,4-triazole-3-carboxamidine hydrochloride (3) and related nucleosides were prepared from 4. In tissue culture, 3 exhibited activity against herpes simplex, rhino, and parainfluenza viruses, similar to that shown by 1, while 2 was effective only against herpes simplex virus. Against lethal influenza A2 virus infections in mice, 3 was effective at 75 mg/kg/day compared with 1 which showed significant activity at 37.5 mg/kg/day.The synthetic nucleoside 1 -ß-D -ribofuranosyl-1,2,4-triazole-3-carboxamide 1,2 (virazole) (1) has been shown by our laboratory to exhibit a broad spectrum of activity against both DNA and RNA viruses in vitro and in vivo.2 Our interest in nucleosides structurally related to 1 has prompted us to investigate3'4 the synthesis and antiviral activity of 1ß-D-ribofuranosyl-l,2,4-triazole-3-thiocarboxamide (2) and 1-ß-D-ribofuranosyl-1,2,4-triazole-3-carboxamidine (3). These nucleosides, while retaining steric requirements very similar to those of the corresponding carboxamide nucleoside 1, differ in hydrogen bonding properties (S and N vs. 0) of the 3 substituent on the triazole.As a route to both the thiocarboxamide (2) and carboxamidine (3) triazole nucleosides, the synthesis of 3-cyano-l-(br s, 2, NH,); Xmax ( , ) 230 nm (e 6000), 287 (6800). Anal.