Chemoenzymatic synthesis of novel adenosine carbanucleoside analogues containing a locked 3′-methyl-2′,3′-β-oxirane-fused system

Starting from a readily available enantiopure building block, a straightforward enantioselective approach to 3′-methyl-2′,3′-β-oxirane-fused carbanucleosides bearing adenosine analogues is detailed. The key steps in the syntheses involved a lipase-catalyzed regioselective monoacylation of a diol to obtain the key intermediate and direct coupling of this key intermediate with diversely substituted purine nucleobases under Mitsunobu reaction conditions providing only the N⁹ target molecules.