2-Chloro-2′-deoxyadenosine (Cladribine)
spectra were determined with FAB (glycerol) unless otherwise
indicated. The chemicals and solvents were of reagent quality.
CH2Cl2 and MeCN were dried by reflux over and distillation
from CaH2. CHCl3 was dried over P2O5 and distilled. AcCl,
POCl3, and N,N-dimethylaniline were freshly distilled before
use. BTEA-NO2 was prepared from BTEA-Cl by ion exchange
[Dowex 1X2 (NO2-)]. Column chromatography (silica gel, 230-
400 mesh) was performed with CH2Cl2/MeOH. Compounds 1a
and 1b were prepared as described.32
Method 1 (nucleoside/TiPBS-Cl/DMAP/Et3N/CHCl3) is de-
scribed for 1a f 2a , method 2 (nucleoside/AcCl/BTEA-NO2/
CH2Cl2) for 2a f 3a, method 3 (nucleoside/N,N-dimethylaniline/
POCl3/BTEA-Cl/MeCN) for 1a f 5a , and method 4 (nucleoside/
NH3/MeOH/CH2Cl2/∆) for 3a f 4. Analogous reactions with
equivalent molar proportions of other nucleosides gave the
indicated products and quantities.
the final stage owing to attack of ammonia at both the
sulfonyl sulfur and C6 (3′b gave 4 in 43% yield). By
contrast, ammonolysis of the 6-O-TiPBS derivatives
proceeded efficiently at C6 with minimal attack at the
hindered sulfur atom. Both types of the arylsulfonate
derivatives, and especially the 6-O-Ts, underwent in-
creased nucleophilic attack at the sulfur with lower
temperatures (-20 to 0 °C) to give 6-oxopurine deriva-
tives. However, treatment of the 6-O-TiPBS compounds
with NH3/MeOH/CH2Cl2 in a pressure tube at 80 °C
strongly favored nucleophilic attack at C6 to give good
yields of CldAdo. This suggests a crossover of the activa-
tion-energy profiles for nucleophilic attack at the sulfonyl
sulfur versus C6 between 0 and 80 °C.
Chlorine has been the most frequently used leaving
group at C6 of purine nucleosides. Original studies on
deoxychlorination of guanosine34 (Guo) and dGuo35 de-
rivatives with POCl3 gave moderate (Guo) to poor (dGuo)
yields of 2-amino-6-chloropurine products, and improved
procedures have been reported.27a,36,37 We effected deoxy-
chlorination of the acid-labile 2′-deoxy derivatives 1 with
POCl3/N,N-dimethylaniline/BTEA-Cl/MeCN/∆27a,37 and
obtained the 6-chloro derivatives 5a (90%) and 5b (85%)
in high yields under carefully controlled conditions. Our
modified procedure for nonaqueous diazotization/chloro
dediazoniation1,28 (AcCl/BTEA-NO2/CH2Cl2, -5 to 0 °C)
worked well for the replacement of the 2-amino group of
2, 2′b, and 5 with chlorine to give 3a (89%), 3b (90%),
3′b (87%), 6a (95%), and 6b (91%).
The displacement of the hindered arylsulfonate (from
3) or chloride (from 6) at C6 with the accompanying
cleavage of the sugar esters was effected at 80 °C with
NH3/MeOH/CH2Cl2. CldAdo was obtained in high yields
from 3a (81%), 3b (83%), 6a (87%), and 6b (94%) but only
in moderate yield from the 6-O-Ts derivative 3′b (43%).
In summary, syntheses of the clinical drug cladribine
were accomplished in three steps from the readily avail-
able 1a or its dibenzoyl analogue 1b. The replacement
of the 2-amino group proceeded in high yields by diazo-
tization/chloro dediazoniation with AcCl/BTEA-NO2. The
selective ammonolysis of 3a and 3b (6-O-TiPBS) or 6 (6-
Cl), with accompanying deacylation, gave 4 (64-75%
overall yield). The ammonolysis of 3′b (6-O-Ts) was
problematic and gave 4 in poor overall yield (33%). The
routes that employed the deoxychlorination of 1 were
∼10% more efficient overall than those which involved
6-O-TiPBS intermediates.
9-(3,5-Di-O-acetyl-2-deoxy-â-D-er yth r o-pen tofu r an osyl)-
2-a m in o-6-O-(2,4,6-t r iisop r op ylb en zen esu lfon yl)p u r in e
(2a ). Meth od 1. Et3N (1.25 mL, 910 mg, 9.0 mmol) was added
to a stirred solution of 1a (1.67 g, 4.8 mmol), TiPBS-Cl (2.73
g, 9.0 mmol), and DMAP (72 mg, 0.6 mmol) in dried CHCl3
(70 mL) under N2. Stirring was continued for 24 h, and
volatiles were evaporated. The orange residue was chromato-
graphed (CH2Cl2/MeOH) to give 2a 33 (2.67 g, 91%) as a slightly
yellow foam: UV λmax 238, 291 nm, λmin 264 nm; 1H NMR (500
MHz) δ 1.26-1.32 (m, 18H), 2.08 (s, 3H), 2.14 (s, 3H), 2.54
(ddd, J ) 4.7, 9.0, 14.0 Hz, 1H), 2.91-2.99 (m, 2H), 4.22-4.37
(m, 3H), 4.43-4.47 (m, 2H), 4.97 (br s, 2H), 5.41-5.42 (“d”,
1H), 6.26-6.29 (m, 1H), 7.21 (s, 2H), 7.84 (s, 1H); LRMS m/z
618 (MH+ [C29H40N5O8S] ) 618); HRMS m/z 640.2413 (MNa+
[C29H39N5O8SNa] ) 640.2417).
2-Am in o-9-(3,5-di-O-ben zoyl-2-deoxy-â-D-er yth r o-pen to-
fu r a n osyl)-6-O-(2,4,6-t r iisop r op ylb en zen esu lfon yl)p u -
r in e (2b). Treatment of 1b (950 mg, 2.0 mmol) by method 1
gave 2b (1.27 g, 86%) as a white solid foam: UV λmax 289 nm,
1
λmin 264 nm; H NMR δ 1.29-1.32 (m, 18H), 2.76 (ddd, J )
2.1, 6.0, 14.3 Hz, 1H), 2.96 (“quint”, J ) 6.8 Hz, 1H), 3.15-
3.25 (m, 1H), 4.34 (“quint”, J ) 6.8 Hz, 2H), 4.65-4.74 (m,
2H), 4.85-4.90 (m, 1H), 5.00 (br s, 2H), 5.84-5.86 (“d”, 1H),
6.38-6.43 (m, 1H), 7.30 (s, 2H), 7.44-7.55 (m, 4H), 7.58-7.69
(m, 2H), 7.85 (s, 1H), 8.04 (d, J ) 7.1 Hz, 2H), 8.11 (d, J ) 7.1
Hz, 2H); LRMS m/z 742 (MH+ [C39H44N5O8S] ) 742), 764
(MNa+ [C39H43N5O8SNa] ) 764); HRMS m/z 764.2730 (MNa+
[C39H43N5O8SNa] ) 764.2730).
2-Am in o-9-(3,5-di-O-ben zoyl-2-deoxy-â-D-er yth r o-pen to-
fu r a n osyl)-6-O-(4-m eth ylben zen esu lfon yl)p u r in e (2′b).
Et3N (700 µL, 506 mg, 5.0 mmol) was added to a stirred
solution of 1b (1.43 g, 3.0 mmol), TsCl (858 mg, 4.5 mmol),
and DMAP (36 mg, 0.3 mmol) in dried CHCl3 (45 mL) under
N2. Stirring was continued for 15 h, and volatiles were
evaporated. The slightly yellow residue was chromatographed
(CH2Cl2/MeOH) to give 2′b (1.68 g, 89%) as a white solid
foam: UV λmax 300 nm; 1H NMR (DMSO-d6) δ 2.43 (s, 3H),
2.73 (ddd, J ) 2.1, 8.4, 14.4 Hz, 1H), 3.17-3.27 (“quint”, J )
7.2 Hz, 1H), 4.52-4.65 (m, 3H), 5.76-5.78 (“d”, 1H), 6.37-
6.41 (m, 1H), 6.95 (br s, 2H), 7.47-7.73 (m, 8H), 7.95 (d, J )
7.8 Hz, 2H), 8.03-8.11 (m, 4H), 8.30 (s, 1H); LRMS m/z 630
(MH+ [C31H28N5O8S] ) 630), 652 (MNa+ [C31H27N5O8SNa] )
652); HRMS m/z 652.1467 (MNa+ [C31H27N5O8SNa] ) 652.1478).
9-(3,5-Di-O-acetyl-2-deoxy-â-D-er yth r o-pen tofu r an osyl)-
2-ch lor o-6-O-(2,4,6-tr iisop r op ylben zen esu lfon yl)p u r in e
(3a ). Meth od 2. A solution of AcCl (200 µL, 220 mg, 2.8 mmol)
in dried CH2Cl2 (12 mL) under N2 was chilled in a NaCl/ice/
H2O bath (-5 to 0 °C) for 15 min. BTEA-NO2 (520 mg, 2.2
mmol) was dissolved in dried CH2Cl2 (8 mL), and this solution
was immediately added dropwise to the cold, stirred solution
of AcCl/CH2Cl2. A solution of 2a (288 mg, 0.5 mmol) in dried
CH2Cl2 (5 mL) was then added dropwise to the cold solution
and stirring was continued for 5 min (TLC, 95:5 CH2Cl2/MeOH,
showed complete conversion of 2a into a single product). The
reaction mixture was added dropwise at a rapid rate to a cold
(ice/H2O bath), vigorously stirred mixture of saturated NaHCO3/
Exp er im en ta l Section
The melting points for 4 were determined with a hot-stage
apparatus. UV spectra were recorded with solutions in MeOH.
1H NMR spectra were recorded at 300 MHz with solutions in
CDCl3 unless otherwise indicated. “Apparent” peak shapes are
in quotation marks when the first-order splitting should be
more complex or when the peaks were poorly resolved. Mass
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