Synthesis and 15N- and 17O-NMR Spectra of 5-Methyl(15N2)[O2,O4-17O2]uridine (= (15N2)[O2,O4-17O2]Ribosylthymine)

The 5-methyl(¹⁵N₂)O²,O⁴-¹⁷O₂]uridine (= (¹⁵N₂)O²,O⁴-¹⁷O ₂]ribosylthymine; 15 ) was synthesized and analyzed by ¹⁵N- and ¹⁷O-NMR spectroscopy. (¹⁵N₂)Urea was condensed with 2,3-dibromo-2-methylpropanoyl chloride ( 3 ) and cyclized to form (¹⁵N₂)thymine ( 5 ). After glycosidation, the ¹⁷O isotopes were introduced in two separate steps: hydrolytic ring opening of 2,5′-anhydro derivative 9 and hydrolysis of 3-nitro-1H-1,2,4-triazole derivative 12 with labelled water in the presence of a strong base. The ¹⁵N- and ¹⁷O-NMR spectra (Fig.) of 15 in phosphate-buffered water serve as references for heteronuclear NMR spectra of labelled RNA fragments.