Synthesis of Acyclic Carba-Nucleoside Phosphonates, Structural Analogues to Natural Deoxyribonucleotides

Acyclic carba-nucleoside phosphonates, modelled on natural deoxyribonucleotides have been prepared starting from DNA nucleobases and tert-butyl acrylate. The products obtained from a Michael-type reaction were elongated to β-oxo esters that were first reduced to β-hydroxy esters and then transformed into protected β-hydroxy aldehydes. Wittig–Horner–Emmons reaction with the anion of tetraisopropyl methylenebisphosphonate gave, after deprotection, the desired 4-hydroxy-6-purinyl- or -6-pyrimidinyl-1-hexenylphosphonic acids. A dimer, potential precursor of acyclic polynucleotides (APN), homomorphous with DNA, was also prepared.