Synthesis of 8-amino-4-methylthio-6-methyl-2-(β-D-ribofuranosyl)-2,6-dihydro-1,2,3,5,6,7-hexaazaacenaphthylene and an unusual reductive ring-opening of the 1,2,3,5,6,7-hexaazaacenaphthylene ring system

The tricyclic nucleoside 8-amino-4-methylthio-6-methyl-2-(β-D-ribofuranosyl)-1,2,3,5,6,7-hexaazaacenaphthylene ( 3 ) was synthesized from 3-cyano-4,6-bis(methylthio)-1-(β-D-ribofuranosyl)pyrazolo3,4-d]pyrimidine ( 1 ). Attempts to synthesize 8-amino-6-methyl-2-(β-D-ribofuranosyl)-1H-2,6-dihydro-1,2,3,5,6,7-hexaazaacenaphthylene ( 5 ) (an aza analog of 6-amino-4-methyl-8-(β-D-ribofuranosyl)-1,3,4,5,8-pentaazaacenaphthylene (TCN)], which is a potent antitumor agent), by the treatment of 3 with Raney nickel did not afford the desired aza analog of TCN. Instead, it was established that a reductive cleavage of the pyridazine moiety of 3 had occurred to give 4-methylamino-6-methylthio-1-(β-D-ribofuranosyl)-1H-pyrazolo3,4-d]pyrimidine-3-carboxamidine ( 6 ). Assuming that solubility was a problem in the reductive step, the isopropylidene derivative of 3 , 8-amino-6-methyl-4-methylthio-2-(2,3-O-isopropylidene-β-D-ribofuranosyl)-2,6-dihydro-1,2,3,5,6,7-hexaazaacenaphthylene ( 8 ), was treated with Raney nickel, only to observe that a similar reductive ring cleavage of 8 had occurred to afford 4-methylamino-6-methylthio-1-(2,3-O-isopropylidene-β-D-ribofuranosyl)-1H-pyrazolo3,4-d]pyrimidine-3-carboxamidine ( 10 ) and 4-methylamino-1-(2,3-O-isopropylidene-β-D-ribofuranosyl)-1H-pyrazolo3,4-d]pyrimidine-3-carboxamidine ( 11 ). Structural assignments for all products were established by physico-chemical procedures.