Chemical Conversion of Uridine to 3′-Branched Sugar Nucleosides (Nucleosides and Nucleotides. 421.)

Abstract
Deamination of 1-(3-amino-3-deoxy-β-D-glucopyranosyl)-uracil gave a ring contracted nucleoside, 3′-deoxy-3′-formyluridine as a hemiacetal form, and uracil. Similar treatment of the 2′-deoxyderivative, 1-(3-amino-2,3-dideoxy-β-D-glucopyranosyl)uracil, gave the corresponding 2′,3′-dideoxy-3′-formyluridine in high yield. The 3′-epimerization of the 3′-formyluridine derivative was achieved and after reduction of the formyl groups, 2′,3′-dideoxy-3′(R and S)-hydroxymethyluridine were obtained.