General procedure for the synthesis of dinucleoside polyphosphates

Dinucleoside 5',5'-polyphosphates (N(p)(n)N) play important roles in biological processes and have been developed into drugs. However, their synthesis still remains a challenge. Here we report a rapid and general approach to the synthesis of dinucleoside 5',5'-polyphosphates by coupling highly reactive nucleoside 5'-monophosphate-N-methylimidazolium salts donors with nucleoside 5'-mono-, -di-, and -triphosphate acceptors.