Pyrazolopyrimidine nucleosides. Part VII. The synthesis of certain pyrazolo [3,4-d] pyrimidine nucleosides related to the nucleoside antibiotics toyocamycin and sangivamycin

The condensation of 4-acetamido-3-cyanopyrazolo3,4-d]pyrimidine ( 5 ) with crystalline 2,3,5-tri-O-acetyl-β- D -ribofuranosyl chloride ( 6 ) has furnished a good yield of nucleoside material ( 7 ) which on treatment with sodium methoxide in methanol provided a high yield of nucleoside which was subsequently established as methyl 4-amino-1-(β- D -ribofuranosyl)pyrazolo3,4-d]-pyrimidine-3-formimidate monohydrate ( 11 ). The formimidate function of 11 was found to be highly reactive and 11 was readily converted into the corresponding carhoxamidine ( 8 ), carboxamidoxime ( 14 ) and carboxamidrazone ( 15 ) when treated with the appropriate nucleophiles. Treatment of the imidate ( 11 ) with sodium hydrogen sulfide gave a high yield of the thiocarboxamide ( 12 ) which was then readily converted into 4-amino-3-cyano-1-(β- D -ribofuranosyl)pyrazolo3,4-d]pyrimidine ( 16 ). Aqueous base transformed 11 into 4-amino-1-(β- D -ribofuranosyl)-pyrazolo3,4-d]pyrimidine-3-carboxamide ( 10 ) while more vigorous basic hydrolysis provided the corresponding carboxylic acid ( 9 ) in nearly quantitative yield. Decarboxylation of 9 proceeded smoothly in hot sulfolane to provide the known 4-amino-1-(β- D -ribofuranosyl)pyrazolo3,4-d]pyrimidine ( 13 ) in 68% yield which unequivocally established the site of ribosylation and anomeric configuration for all nucleosides reported in this investigation.