Photochemistry on soluble polymer supports: synthesis of nucleosides

[reaction: see text] A new soluble polymer support synthesis of nucleosides is described. The photochemical ring expansion of cyclobutanones in the presence of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) results in polymer-supported ribosides. These photoadducts can be cleaved from the polymer under Vorbrüggen coupling conditions with TMS-protected purines and pyrimidines to give ribonucleosides. The method has been extended to include modified PEGs with dendritic end-groups in order to improve the loading levels for these coupling reactions.