A novel modular, efficient, and practical methodology of preparation of 6-substituted pyridin-2-ylC-nucleosides was developed. An addition of 2-lithio-6-bromopyridine
2b to TBDMS-protected2-deoxyribonolactone
5 gave aduct
7 as an equilibrium mixture of anomeric hemiketals 1-(6-bromopyridin-2-yl)-1-hydroxynucleosides
7a,
b and its open form
7c. Reduction of the adduct
7 with Et
3SiH andBF
3·Et
2O afforded the desired 6-bromonucleoside
8a as pure
-anomer in a total yield of 32% overtwo steps from
5. Intermediate
8a was then subjected to a series of palladium catalyzed cross-couplingreactions and aminations to give a series of protected 1
-(6-alkyl-, 6-aryl-, and 6-aminopyridin-2-yl)-2-deoxyribonucleosides
9. Catalytic hydrogenation of
8a gave an unsubstituted pyridine C-nucleoside,and diazotative oxodeamination of 6-aminopyridine nucleoside
9f by isopentyl nitrite in acetic acid gave6-oxopyridine nucleoside
10i. Deprotection of silylated nucleosides
9 by Et
3N·3HF gave a series of freeC-nucleosides
10.