Studies on the synthesis of N′-acetyl AZA-analogues of Ganciclovir - Unexpected liability of N′-(2-hydroxyethyl)-azanucleosides under basic conditions

Article abstract of DOI:10.1080/15257770.2010.519367

The O′-pivaloyl diesters of N′-acetyl-azanucleosides were obtained from N-[1,3-di(pivaloyloxy)prop-2-yl]-N-(pivaloyloxymethyl)acetamide and a silylated nucleobase under Vorbruggen′s conditions. Unexpectedly, de-pivaloylation of the diesters under basic conditions afforded the corresponding nucleobase and N-acetylserinol. Mechanistic investigations showed that these products result from the following cascade of spontaneous transformations initiated by the mono de-pivaloylation of the starting diesters. N′-Deacetylation of the resultant mono-esters via the intramolecular N-O acetyl migration is the key step of the cascade; the corresponding NH-azanucleosides in the form of O-acetyl-O′-pivaloyl diesters are formed. Fragmentation of these diester intermediates gives the nucleobase and O-acetyl-O'-pivaloylserinol. Conversion of the latter to N-acetylserinol involves the selective O-N acetyl migration followed by de-pivaloylation of the resulting N-acetyl-O-pivaloylserinol. Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.