Purine cation formation

In addition to C8 alkylation, C2 alkylation of purines has been reported. The regioselectivity has been correlated with the site of cation formation, alkylation occurring mostly on the carbon where the proton resonates at lowest field. Details of methylation products and product ratios at different pH values for a series of free-radical, purine methylations are given in Table 41. "... 

One-electron oxidation of the adenine moiety of DNA and 2 -deoxyadenos-ine (dAdo) (45) gives rise to related purine radical cations 46 that may undergo either hydration to generate 8-hydroxy-7,8-dihydroadenyl radicals (47) or deprotonation to give rise to the 6-aminyl radicals 50. The formation of 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2 -deoxyadenosine (8-oxodAdo) (48) and 4,6-diamino-5-formamidopyrimidine (FapyAde) (49) is likely explained in terms of oxidation and reduction of 8-hydroxy-7,8-dihydroadenyl precursor radicals 47, respectively [90]. Another modified nucleoside that was found to be generated upon type I mediated one-electron oxidation of 45 by photoexcited riboflavin and menadione is 2 -deoxyinosine (51) [29]. The latter nucleoside is likely to arise from deamination of 6-aminyl radicals (50). Overall, the yield of formation of 8-oxodAdo 48 and FapyAde 49 upon one-electron oxidation of DNA is about 10-fold-lower than that of 8-oxodGuo 44 and FapyGua 43, similar to OH radical mediated reactions [91]. 

The hydroxyl radical can also abstract a single electron from dG to generate the base radical cation (G ). In duplex DNA, the G " " will be stabilized by its delocalization into adjacent bases. Both calculations and kinetic measurements " indicate that GG sequences have a lower oxidation potential than an isolated G. Nucleo-bases on the 3 -side of G determine the extent of G formation, and here purines are more effective than pyrimidines at lowering the oxidation potential of G, which accounts for the GG effect and that GA sites are also reactive. ... 

As with other reducing agents, G reacts with 02 (Chap. 10.2) which is the most abundant freely diffusing peroxyl radical. Upon two-photon excitation of a 2-aminopurine-containing ss- and dsODN in air-saturated solutions, photoionization leads to the formation of eaq (and subsequently 02 ) and the 2-amino-purine radical cation oxidizes a neighboring G (leading to G plus H+ Misiaszek et al. 2004). G and 02 react with one another (ssDNA k = 4.1 x 108 dm3 mol-1 s 1 dsDNA 2.7 x 108 dm3 mol-1 sH). In the majority of these events G is reformed, but with an efficiency of 15% Iz and, to a minor extent, 8-oxo-G are formed. The suggested mechanism is shown in Chapter 10.2. 

The reaction of hydrated electrons formed by radiolysis with peroxydisulfate yields the sulfate radical anion SO4 which is a strong chemical oxidant (Eqx = 2.4 V/NHE) [50, 58]. The oxidation of both purine and pyrimidine nucleotides by S04 occurs with rate constants near the diffusion-controlled limit (2.1-4.1 x 10 M s ). Candeias and Steenken [58a] employed absorption spectroscopy to investigate acid-base properties of the guanosine cation radical formed by this technique. The cation radical has a pKa of 3.9, and is rapidly deprotonated at neutral pH to yield the neutral G(-H) . Both G+ and G(-H) have broad featureless absorption spectra with extinction coefffcients <2000 at wavelengths longer than 350 nm. This has hampered the use of transient absorption spectra to study their formation and decay. Candeias and Steenken [58b] have also studied the oxidation of di(deoxy)nucleoside phosphates which contain guanine and one of the other three nucleobases by SO4 , and observe only the formation of G+ under acidic conditions and G(-H) under neutral conditions. 

The Mitsunobu reaction has been used previously to prepare 5 -0-acylnucle-osides and nucleoside 5 -phosphates [111, 112]. With purine nucleosides, the approach failed (< 1 % yields) in the preparation of 5 -phosphates, the main product being N3,5"-cyclonucleosides resulting from an intramolecular nucleophilic attack by a purine ring nitrogen atom on the 5 -carbon atom. The predominant formation of the purine cyclonucleosides was attributed to electrostatic interactions between the phosphorus cation and the purine base which brought the reaction sites (5 and 3-N) close enough to favor cyclization [113]. 

Glycosylamines from simple secondary amines, such as N-glycosyl piperidine, appear to behave like glycosylamines derived from primary amines and ammonia. Where, however, formation of a cationic Schiif base would involve disruption of an aromatic sextet (as with glycosyl imidazoles, pyrazoles and purines) the glycosylamines are configurationally stable. 

Figure 3.15 Effect of bridging on acid lability of nucleosides. 3, 5 -Bridging with a cyclic phosphate disfavours formation of ribofuranosyl cations but favours ring opening by steric acceleration 5, 8-bridging has a small effect but 5, 3-bridging in the case of purines has a large rate-retarding effect because of the electronic effect of the quaternary nitrogen.

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