Synthesis of (5′S)‐5′‐C‐Alkyl‐2′‐deoxynucleosides

We describe the synthesis of (5′S)‐5′‐C‐butylthymidine ( 5a ), of the (5′S)‐5′‐C‐butyl‐ and the (5′S)‐5′‐C‐isopentyl derivatives 16a and 16b of 2′‐deoxy‐5‐methylcytidine, as well as of the corresponding cyanoethyl phosphoramidites 9a , b and 14a , b , respectively. Starting from thymidin‐5′‐al 1 , the alkyl chain at C(5′) is introduced via Wittig chemistry to selectively yield the (Z)‐olefin derivatives 3a and 3b (Scheme 2). The secondary OH function at C(5′) is then introduced by epoxidation followed by regioselective reduction of the epoxy derivatives 4a and 4b with diisobutylaluminium hydride. In the latter step, a kinetic resolution of the diastereoisomer mixture 4a and 4b occurs, yielding the alkylated nucleoside 2a and 2b , respectively, with (5′S)‐configuration in high diastereoisomer purity (de=94%). The corresponding 2′‐deoxy‐5‐methylcytidine derivatives are obtained from the protected 5′‐alkylated thymidine derivatives 7a and 7b via known base interconversion processes in excellent yields (Scheme 3). Application of the same strategy to the purine nucleoside 2′‐deoxyadenine to obtain 5′‐C‐butyl‐2′‐deoxyadenosine 25 proved to be difficult due to the sensitivity of the purine base to hydride‐based reducing agents (Scheme 4).     

Nucleotides,Part LXV,Synthesis of 2′‐Deoxyribonucleoside 5′‐Phosphoramidites: New Building Blocks for the Inverse (5′‐3′)‐Oligonucleotide Approach

The syntheses of the 3′‐O‐(4,4′‐dimethoxytrityl)‐protected 5′‐phosphoramidites 25 – 28 and 5′‐(hydrogen succinates) 29 – 32 , which can be used as monomeric building blocks for the inverse (5′‐3′)‐oligodeoxyribonucleotide synthesis are described (Scheme). These activated nucleosides and nucleotides were obtained by two slightly different four‐step syntheses starting with the base‐protected nucleosides 13 – 20 . For the protection of the aglycon residues, the well‐established 2‐(4‐nitrophenyl)ethyl (npe) and [2‐(4‐nitrophenyl)ethoxy]carbonyl (npeoc) groups were used. The assembly of the oligonucleotides required a slightly increased coupling time of 3 min in application of the common protocol (see Table 1). The use of pyridinium hydrochloride as an activator (instead of 1H‐tetrazole) resulted in an extremely shorter activation time of 30 seconds. We established the efficiency of this inverse strategy by the synthesis of the oligonucleotide 3′‐conjugates 33 and 34 which carry lipophilic caps derived from cholesterol and vitamin E, respectively, as well as by the formation of (3′‐3′)‐ and (5′‐5′)‐internucleotide linkages (see Table 2).     

5‐Ethyl‐2′‐deoxy‐4′‐thiouridine (R)‐S‐oxide monohydrate

The pyrimidine ring of the title compound, C₁₁H₁₆N₂O₅S·H₂O, is planar to within 0.026 (1) Å and makes an angle of 77.73 (8)° with the mean plane of the thiosugar ring. In terms of standard nucleoside nomenclature, this ring has a C1′‐exo,C2′‐endo conformation. The O5′—C5′—C4′—C3′ torsion angle is ?167.4 (2)° and the glycosidic S4′—C1′—N1—C2 torsion angle is ?101.8 (2)° (anti).     

5‐Methyl‐2′‐deoxy‐4′‐thio‐α‐uridine (R)‐­S‐oxide

The pyrimidine ring of the title compound, C₁₀H₁₄N₂O₅S, is planar to within 0.024 (1) Å and makes an angle of 75.46 (10)° with the mean plane of the thio­sugar ring. In terms of standard nucleoside nomenclature, this ring has the C3′‐endo conformation. The O5′—C5′—C4′—C3′ torsion angle is 166.5 (3)° and the glycosidic torsion angle S4′—C1′—N1—C2 is ?52.1 (2)° (syn).     

Flip‐type disorder in 3‐substituted 2,2′:5′,2′′‐terthiophenes

In the crystal structures of four thiophene derivatives, (E)‐3′‐[2‐(anthracen‐9‐yl)ethenyl]‐2,2′:5′,2′′‐terthiophene, C₂₈H₁₈S₃, (E)‐3′‐[2‐(1‐pyrenyl)ethenyl]‐2,2′:5′,2′′‐terthiophene, C₃₀H₁₈S₃, (E)‐3′‐[2‐(3,4‐dimethoxyphenyl)ethenyl]‐2,2′:5′,2′′‐terthiophene, C₂₂H₁₈O₂S₃, and (E,E)‐1,4‐bis[2‐(2,2′:5′,2′′‐terthiophen‐3′‐yl)ethenyl]‐2,5‐dimethoxybenzene, C₃₆H₂₆O₂S₆, at least one of the terminal thiophene rings is disordered and the disorder is of the flip type. The terthiophene fragments are far from being coplanar, contrary to terthiophene itself. The central C—C=C—C fragments are almost planar but the bond lengths suggest slight delocalization within this fragment. The crystal packing is determined by van der Waals interactions and some weak, relatively short, C—H...S and C—H...π directional contacts.     

3,4‐Dithiaphosphole and 3,3′,4,4′‐Tetrathia‐1,1′‐Biphosphole π‐Conjugated Systems: S Makes the Impact

Conjugated systems based on phospholes and 1,1′‐biphospholes bearing 3,4‐ethylenedithia bridges have been prepared using the Fagan–Nugent route. The mechanism of this organometallic route leading to intermediate zirconacyclopentadienes has been investigated by using theoretical calculations. This study revealed that the oxidative coupling leading to zirconacyclopentadienes is favored over oxidative addition within the S? C≡C bond both thermodynamically and kinetically. The impact of the presence of the S atoms on the optical and electrochemical behavior of the phospholes and 1,1′‐biphospholes has been systematically evaluated both experimentally and theoretically. A comparison with their “all‐carbon” analogues is provided. Of particular interest, this comparative study revealed that the introduction of S atoms has an impact on the electronic properties of phosphole‐based conjugated systems. A decrease of the HOMO–LUMO separation and a stabilization of the LUMO level were observed. These general trends are also observed with 1,1′‐biphospholes exhibiting σ–π conjugation. The P atom of the 3,4‐ethylenedithiaphospholes can be selectively oxidized by S₈ or O₂. These P modifications result in a lowering of the HOMO–LUMO separation as well as an increase of the reduction and oxidation potentials. The S atoms of the 3,4‐ethylenedithia bridge of the 2,5‐phosphole have been oxidized using m‐chloroperoxybenzoic acid. The resulting 3,4‐ethylenesulfoxide oxophosphole was characterized by an X‐ray diffraction study. Experimental and theoretical studies show that this novel chemical manipulation results in an increase of the HOMO–LUMO separation and an important decrease of the LUMO level. The electropolymerization of 2‐thienyl‐capped 3,4‐ethylenedithiathioxophosphole and 1,1′‐biphosphole is reported. The impact of the S substituents on the polymer properties is discussed.     

Concise Synthesis of [1,1′‐Biisoquinoline]‐4,4′‐diol via a Protecting Group Strategy and Its Application for Potential Liquid‐Crystalline Compounds

The [1,1′‐biisoquinoline]‐4,4′‐diol ( 4a ), which was obtained as hydrochloride 4a ?2 HCl in two steps starting from the methoxymethyl (MOM)‐protected 1‐chloroisoquinoline 8 (Scheme 3), opens access to further O‐functionalized biisoquinoline derivatives. Compound 4a ?2 HCl was esterified with 4‐(hexadecyloxy)benzoyl chloride ( 5b ) to give the corresponding diester 3b (Scheme 4), which could not be obtained by Ni‐mediated homocoupling of 6b (Scheme 2). The ether derivative 2b was accessible in good yield by reaction of 4a ?2 HCl with the respective alkyl bromide 9 under the conditions of Williamson etherification (Scheme 4). Slightly modified conditions were applied to the esterification of 4a ?2 HCl with galloyl chlorides 10a – h as well as etherification of 4a ?2 HCl with 6‐bromohexyl tris(alkyloxy)benzoates 11b , d – h and [(6‐bromohexyl)oxy]‐substituted pentakis(alkyloxy)triphenylenes 14a – c (Scheme 5). Despite the bulky substituents, the respective target 1,1′‐biisoquinolines 12, 13 , and 15 were isolated in 14–86% yield (Table).     

Synthesis of 3′‐Thioamido‐Modified 3′‐Deoxythymidine 5′‐Triphosphates by Regioselective Thionation and Their Use as Chain Terminators in DNA Sequencing

The thioamide derivatives 3′‐deoxy‐5′‐O‐(4,4′‐dimethoxytrityl)‐3′‐[(2‐methyl‐1‐thioxopropyl)amino]thymidine ( 4a ) and 3′‐deoxy‐5′‐O‐(4,4′‐dimethoxytrityl)‐3′‐{{6‐{[(9H‐(fluoren‐9‐ylmethoxy)carbonyl]amino}‐1‐thioxohexyl}amino}thymidine ( 4b ) were synthesized by regioselective thionation of the corresponding amides 3a and 3b with 2,4‐bis(4‐methoxyphenyl)‐1,3,2,4‐dithiadiphosphetane 2,4‐disulfide (Lawesson's reagent). The addition of exact amounts of pyridine to the reaction mixture proved to be essential for an efficient transformation. The thioamides were converted into the corresponding 5′‐triphosphates 6a and 6b . Compound 6a was chosen for DNA sequencing experiments, and 6b was further labelled with fluorescein (→ 8 ).     

Carbocyclic 5′‐norcytidine (5′‐norcarbodine)

A preparation of (1′R,2′S,3′R,4′S)‐1‐(2′,3′,4′‐trihydroxycyclopent‐1′‐yl)‐lH‐cytosine (5′‐norcarbodine, 3 ) has formally been achieved in 2 steps from (+)‐(1R,4S)‐4‐hydroxy‐2‐cyclopenten‐1‐yl acetate ( 4 ) and cytosine. The L‐like enantiomer of 3 (that is, 6 ) is also reported using the enantiomer of 4 (that is, 7 ). In evalu ating 3 and 6 for antiviral potential against a number of viruses, compound 3 was found to have activity towards Epstein‐Barr virus (EBV).     

Nucleosides XII.1 Synthesis of 5‐Modified Isoguanosines and Reinvestigation of 5′‐Deoxy‐N3,5′‐cycloisoguanosine

Isoguanosine ( 3 ) underwent a coupling reaction with diaryl disulfides in the presence of tri‐n‐butylphosphine when its 6‐amino group was protected by N,N‐dimethylaminomethylidene. The synthesis of 5′‐deoxy‐N³,5′‐cycloisoguanosine ( 6 ) and its 2′,3′‐O‐isopropylidene derivative ( 11 ) were accomplished in excellent yields from isoguanosines ( 3 & 10 ) in the presence of triphenylphospine and carbon tetrachloride in pyridine. Chlorination at the 5′‐position of isoguanosine ( 3 ) with thionyl chloride followed by the aqueous base‐promoted cyclization afforded the same product 6 . The structures were elucidated by spectroscopic analysis including IR, UV, 1‐D and 2‐D NMR.     

Regio‐ and stereospecific assembly of dispiro[indoline‐3,3′‐pyrrolizine‐1′,5′′‐thiazolidines] from simple precursors using a one‐pot procedure: synthesis,spectroscopic and structural characterization,and a proposed mechanism of formation

The synthesis and characterization of three new dispiro[indoline‐3,3′‐pyrrolizine‐1′,5′′‐thiazolidine] compounds are reported, together with the crystal structures of two of them. (3RS,1′SR,2′SR,7a′SR)‐2′‐(4‐Chlorophenyl)‐1‐hexyl‐2′′‐sulfanylidene‐5′,6′,7′,7a′‐tetrahydro‐2′H‐dispiro[indoline‐3,3′‐pyrrolizine‐1′,5′′‐thiazolidine]‐2,4′′‐dione, C₂₈H₃₀ClN₃O₂S₂, (I), (3RS,1′SR,2′SR,7a′SR)‐2′‐(4‐chlorophenyl)‐1‐benzyl‐5‐methyl‐2′′‐sulfanylidene‐5′,6′,7′,7a′‐tetrahydro‐2′H‐dispiro[indoline‐3,3′‐pyrrolizine‐1′,5′′‐thiazolidine]‐2,4′′‐dione, C₃₀H₂₆ClN₃O₂S₂, (II), and (3RS,1′SR,2′SR,7a′SR)‐2′‐(4‐chlorophenyl)‐5‐fluoro‐2′′‐sulfanylidene‐5′,6′,7′,7a′‐tetrahydro‐2′H‐dispiro[indoline‐3,3′‐pyrrolizine‐1′,5′′‐thiazolidine]‐2,4′′‐dione, C₂₂H₁₇ClFN₃O₂S₂, (III), were each isolated as a single regioisomer using a one‐pot reaction involving l ‐proline, a substituted isatin and (Z)‐5‐(4‐chlorobenzylidene)‐2‐sulfanylidenethiazolidin‐4‐one [5‐(4‐chlorobenzylidene)rhodanine]. The compositions of (I)–(III) were established by elemental analysis, complemented by high‐resolution mass spectrometry in the case of (I); their constitutions, including the definition of the regiochemistry, were established using NMR spectroscopy, and the relative configurations at the four stereogenic centres were established using single‐crystal X‐ray structure analysis. A possible reaction mechanism for the formation of (I)–(III) is proposed, based on the detailed stereochemistry. The molecules of (I) are linked into simple chains by a single N—H…N hydrogen bond, those of (II) are linked into a chain of rings by a combination of N—H…O and C—H…S=C hydrogen bonds, and those of (III) are linked into sheets by a combination of N—H…N and N—H…S=C hydrogen bonds.     

Synthesis of 3′,5′‐Cyclic Phosphate and Thiophosphate Esters of 2′‐C‐Methyl Ribonucleosides

2′‐C‐Methylnucleosides are known to exhibit antiviral activity against Hepatitis C virus. Since the inhibitory activity depends on their intracellular conversion to 5′‐triphosphates, dosing as appropriately protected 5′‐phosphates or 5′‐phosphorothioates appears attractive. For this purpose, four potential pro‐drugs of 2′‐C‐methylguanosine, i.e., 3′,5′‐cyclic phosphorothioate of 2′‐C‐methylguanosine and 2′‐C,O⁶‐dimethylguanosine, 1 and 2 , respectively, the S‐[(pivaloyloxy)methyl] ester of 2′‐C,O⁶‐dimethylguanosine 3′,5′‐cyclic phosphorothioate and the O‐methyl ester of 2′‐C,O⁶‐dimethylguanosine 3′,5′‐cyclic phosphate, 3 and 4 , respectively, have been prepared.     

Synthesis of 3′‐1,2,4‐triazolo‐ and 3′‐1,3,4‐thiadiazoliminothymidines

New 5′‐acetyl‐3′‐1,3,4‐thiadiazoliminothymidines 11, 14 were prepared, via spontaneous rearrangments, by cycloaddition of 5′‐acetyl‐3′‐deoxy‐3′‐isothiocyanatothymidine 9 with 1‐aza‐2‐azoniaallene hexachloantimonates. Similary, 3′‐cyano analogue 19 was reacted with the same cumulenes to furnish 3′‐1,2,4‐triazolo‐thymidines 22, 24 , and 26 . Deblocking of the acylated products afforded the free nucleosides. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 14:298–303, 2003; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/hc.10146     

Experimental Study of Hydrogen Bonding Potentially Stabilizing the 5′‐Deoxyadenosyl Radical from Coenzyme B12

Coenzyme B₁₂ can assist radical enzymes that accomplish the vicinal interchange of a hydrogen atom with a functional group. It has been proposed that the Co? C bond homolysis of coenzyme B₁₂ to cob(II)alamin and the 5′‐deoxyadenosyl radical is aided by hydrogen bonding of the corrin C19? H to the 3′‐O of the ribose moiety of the incipient 5′‐deoxyadenosyl radical, which is stabilized by 30 kJ mol^?1 (B. Durbeej et al., Chem. Eur. J. 2009 , 15, 8578–8585). The diastereoisomers (R)‐ and (S)‐2,3‐dihydroxypropylcobalamin were used as models for coenzyme B₁₂. A downfield shift of the NMR signal for the C19? H proton was observed for the (R)‐isomer (δ=4.45 versus 4.01 ppm for the (S)‐isomer) and can be ascribed to an intramolecular hydrogen bond between the C19? H and the oxygen of CHOH. Crystal structures of (R)‐ and (S)‐2,3‐dihydroxypropylcobalamin showed C19? H???O distances of 3.214(7) Å (R‐isomer) and 3.281(11) Å (S‐isomer), which suggest weak hydrogen‐bond interactions (?ΔG<6 kJ mol^?1) between the CHOH of the dihydroxypropyl ligand and the C19? H. Exchange of the C19? H, which is dependent on the cobalt redox state, was investigated with cob(I)alamin, cob(II)alamin, and cob(III)alamin by using NMR spectroscopy to monitor the uptake of deuterium from deuterated water in the pH range 3–11. No exchange was found for any of the cobalt oxidation states. 3′,5′‐Dideoxyadenosylcobalamin, but not the 2′,5′‐isomer, was found to act as a coenzyme for glutamate mutase, with a 15‐fold lower k_cat/K_M than 5′‐deoxyadenosylcobalamin. This indicates that stabilization of the 5′‐deoxyadenosyl radical by a hydrogen bond that involves the C19? H and the 3′‐OH group of the cofactor is, at most, 7 kJ mol^?1 (?ΔG). Examination of the crystal structure of glutamate mutase revealed additional stabilizing factors: hydrogen bonds between both the 2′‐OH and 3′‐OH groups and glutamate 330. The actual strength of a hydrogen bond between the C19? H and the 3′‐O of the ribose moiety of the 5′‐deoxyadenosyl group is concluded not to exceed 6 kJ mol^?1 (?ΔG).     

Efficient Automated Solid‐Phase Synthesis of DNA and RNA 5′‐Triphosphates

A fast, high‐yielding and reliable method for the synthesis of DNA‐ and RNA 5′‐triphosphates is reported. After synthesizing DNA or RNA oligonucleotides by automated oligonucleotide synthesis, 5‐chloro‐saligenyl‐N,N‐diisopropylphosphoramidite was coupled to the 5′‐end. Oxidation of the formed 5′‐phosphite using the same oxidizing reagent used in standard oligonucleotide synthesis led to 5′‐cycloSal‐oligonucleotides. Reaction of the support‐bonded 5′‐cycloSal‐oligonucleotide with pyrophosphate yielded the corresponding 5′‐triphosphates. The 5′‐triphosphorylated DNA and RNA oligonucleotides were obtained after cleavage from the support in high purity and excellent yields. The whole reaction sequence was adapted to be used on a standard oligonucleotide synthesizer.     

Synthesis and Characterization of Fluorinated Polyimide Derived from 3,3′‐Diisopropyl‐4,4′‐diaminodiphenyl‐3′′,4′′‐difluorophenylmethane

A novel aromatic diamine monomer, 3,3′‐diisopropyl‐4,4′‐diaminodiphenyl‐3′′,4′′‐difluorophenylmethane (PAFM), was successfully synthesized by coupling of 2‐isopropylaniline and 3,4‐difluorobenzaldehyde. The aromatic diamine was adopted to synthesize a series of fluorinated polyimides by polycondensation with various dianhydrides: pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA), 3,3′,4,4′‐biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride (BPDA), 4,4′‐oxydiphthalic anhydride (ODPA) and 3,3′,4,4′‐benzophenone tetracarboxylic dianhydride (BTDA) via the conventional one‐step method. These polyimides presented excellent solubility in common organic solvents, such as N,N‐dimethylformamide (DMF), N,N‐dimethyl acetamide (DMAc), dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidone (NMP), chloroform (CHCl₃), tetrahydrofuran (THF) and so on. The glass transition temperatures (T_g) of fluorinated polyimides were in the range of 260–306°C and the temperature at 10% weight loss in the range of 474–502°C. Their films showed the cut‐off wavelengths of 330–361 nm and higher than 80% transparency in a wavelength range of 385–463 nm. Moreover, polymer films exhibited low dielectric properties in the range of 2.76–2.96 at 1 MHz, as well as prominent mechanical properties with tensile strengths of 66.7–97.4 MPa, a tensile modulus of 1.7–2.1 GPa and elongation at break of 7.2%–12.9%. The polymer films also showed outstanding hydrophobicity with the contact angle in the range of 91.2°–97.9°.     

Factors Affecting DNA–DNA Interstrand Cross‐Links in the Antiparallel 3′–3′ Sense: A Comparison with the 5′–5′ Directional Isomer

Reported herein is a study of the unusual 3′–3′ 1,4‐GG interstrand cross‐link (IXL) formation in duplex DNA by a series of polynuclear platinum anticancer complexes. To examine the effect of possible preassociation through charge and hydrogen‐bonding effects the closely related compounds [{trans‐PtCl(NH₃)₂}₂(μ‐trans‐Pt(NH₃)₂{NH₂(CH₂)₆NH₂}₂)]⁴⁺ (BBR3464, 1 ), [{trans‐PtCl(NH₃)₂}₂(μ‐NH₂(CH₂)₆NH₂)]²⁺ (BBR3005, 2 ), [{trans‐PtCl(NH₃)₂}₂(μ‐H₂N(CH₂)₃NH₂(CH₂)₄)]³⁺ (BBR3571, 3 ) and [{trans‐PtCl(NH₃)₂}₂{μ‐H₂N(CH₂)₃‐N(COCF₃)(CH₂)₄}]²⁺ (BBR3571‐COCF₃, 4 ) were studied. Two different molecular biology approaches were used to investigate the effect of DNA template upon IXL formation in synthetic 20‐base‐pair duplexes. In the “hybridisation directed” method the monofunctionally adducted top strands were hybridised with their complementary 5′‐end labelled strands; after 24 h the efficiency of interstrand cross‐linking in the 5′–5′ direction was slightly higher than in the 3′–3′ direction. The second method involved “postsynthetic modification” of the intact duplex; significantly less cross‐linking was observed, but again a slight preference for the 5′–5′ duplex was present. 2D [¹H, ¹⁵N] HSQC NMR spectroscopy studies of the reaction of [¹⁵N]‐ 1 with the sequence 5′‐d{TATACATGTATA}₂ allowed direct comparison of the stepwise formation of the 3′–3′ IXL with the previously studied 5′–5′ IXL on the analogous sequence 5′‐d(ATATGTACATAT)₂. Whereas the preassociation and aquation steps were similar, differences were evident at the monofunctional binding step. The reaction did not yield a single distinct 3′–3′ 1,4‐GG IXL, but numerous cross‐linked adducts formed. Similar results were found for the reaction with the dinuclear [¹⁵N]‐ 2 . Molecular dynamics simulations for the 3′–3′ IXLs formed by both 1 and 2 showed a highly distorted structure with evident fraying of the end base pairs and considerable widening of the minor groove.     

A new,validated HPLC‐MS/MS method for the simultaneous determination of the anti‐cancer agent capecitabine and its metabolites: 5′‐deoxy‐5‐fluorocytidine, 5′‐deoxy‐5‐fluorouridine, 5‐fluorouracil and 5‐fluorodihydrouracil,in human plasma

A rapid and selective liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometric method was developed for the simultaneous determination of capecitabine and its metabolites 5′‐deoxy‐5‐fluorocytidine (5′‐DFCR), 5′‐deoxy‐5‐fluorouracil (5′‐DFUR), 5‐fluorouracil (5‐FU) and dihydro‐5‐fluorouracil (FUH₂) in human plasma. A 200 μL human plasma aliquot was spiked with a mixture of internal standards fludarabine and 5‐chlorouracil. A single‐step protein precipitation method was employed using 10% (v/v) trichloroacetic acid in water to separate analytes from bio‐matrices. Volumes of 20 μL of the supernatant were directly injected onto the HPLC system. Separation was achieved on a 30 × 2.1 mm Hypercarb (porous graphitic carbon) column using a gradient by mixing 10 mm ammonium acetate and acetonitrile–2‐propanol–tetrahydrofuran (1 : 3 : 2.25, v/v/v). The detection was performed using a Finnigan TSQ Quantum Ultra equipped with the electrospray ion source operated in positive and negative mode. The assay quantifies a range from 10 to 1000 ng/mL for capecitabine, from 10 to 5000 ng/mL for 5′‐DFCR and 5′‐DFUR, and from 50 to 5000 ng/mL for 5‐FU and FUH₂ using a plasma sample of 200 μL. Correlation coefficients (r²) of the calibration curves in human plasma were better than 0.99 for all compounds. At all concentration levels, deviations of measured concentrations from nominal concentration were between ?4.41 and 3.65% with CV values less than 12.0% for capecitabine, between ?7.00 and 6.59% with CV values less than 13.0 for 5′‐DFUR, between ?3.25 and 4.11% with CV values less than 9.34% for 5′‐DFCR, between ?5.54 and 5.91% with CV values less than 9.69% for 5‐FU and between ?4.26 and 6.86% with CV values less than 14.9% for FUH₂. The described method was successfully applied for the evaluation of the pharmacokinetic profile of capecitabine and its metabolites in plasma of treated cancer patients. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Syntheses and Reactions of 1′,2′-Unsaturated 2′,3′-Seconucleoside Analogues

The 1′,2′-unsaturated 2′,3′-secoadenosine and 2′,3′-secouridine analogues were synthesized by the regioselective elimination of the corresponding 2′,3′-ditosylates, 2 and 18 , respectively, under basic conditions. The observed regioselectivity may be explained by the higher acidity and, hence, preferential elimination of the anomeric H–C(1′) in comparison to H? C(4′). The retained (tol-4-yl)sulfonyloxy group at C(3′) of 3 allowed the preparation of the 3′-azido, 3′-chloro, and 3′-hydroxy derivatives 5–7 by nucleophilic substitution. ZnBr₂ in dry CH₂Cl₂ was found to be successful in the removal (85%) of the trityl group without any cleavage of the acid-sensitive, ketene-derived N,O-ketal function. In the uridine series, base-promoted regioselective elimination (→ 19 ), nucleophilic displacement of the tosyl group by azide (→ 20 ), and debenzylation of the protected N(3)-imide function gave 1′,2′-unsaturated 5′-O-trityl-3′-azido-secouridine derivative 21 . The same compound was also obtained by the elimination performed on 2,2′-anhydro-3′-azido-3′-azido-3′-deoxy-5′-O-2′,3′-secouridine ( 22 ) that reacted with KO(t-Bu) under opening of the oxazole ring and double-bond formation at C(1′).     

Dithiazolo[5,4‐b:4′,5′‐d]phosphole: A Highly Luminescent Electron‐Accepting Building Block

A family of highly emissive dithiazolo[5,4‐b:4′,5′‐d]phospholes has been designed and synthesized. The structures of two trivalent P species, as well as their corresponding P oxides, have been confirmed by X‐ray crystallography. The parent dithiazolo[5,4‐b:4′,5′‐d]phosphole oxide exhibits strong blue photoluminescence at λ_em=442 nm, with an excellent quantum yield efficiency of ?_PL=0.81. The photophysical properties of these compounds can be easily tuned by extension of the conjugation and modification of the phosphorus center. Compared with the established dithieno[3,2‐b:2′,3′‐d]phosphole system, the incorporation of electronegative nitrogen atoms leads to significantly lowered frontier orbital energy levels, as validated by both electrochemistry and theoretical calculations, thus suggesting that the dithiazolo[5,4‐b:4′,5′‐d]phospholes are valuable, air‐stable, n‐type conjugated materials. These new building blocks have been further applied to the construction of an extended oligomer with fluorene. Extension of the dithiazolophosphole core with triazole units through click reactions also provides a suitable N,N‐chelating moiety for metal binding and a representative molecular species was successfully used as a selective colorimetric and fluorescent sensor for Cu^II ions.