Recent Advances in Palladium-Mediated Reactions of Nucleosides

Synthetic methodology for generating a thioether linkage at C-5 of pyrimidine nucleosides via a palladium-mediated reaction of mercurated nucleosides with organic disulfides was recently reported by our laboratory. We have continued to explore the scope of the reaction with respect to both the nucleoside component and the disulfide. In particular, the reaction of N, N'-bis(trifluoroacetyl)cystamine with mercurated nucleosides has been explored in more detail.