Synthesis of an ethidium nucleoside and its acyclic analog

The protected ethidium nucleosides 8-(3′,5′-di-O-benzoyl-2′-deoxy-d-ribofuranosyl)-3-acetamido-5-ethyl-6-phenyl-phenanthridinium (5), 8-(3′,5′-di-O-acetyl-2′-deoxy-d-ribofuranosyl)-3-acetamido-5-ethyl-6-phenyl-phenanthridinium (6), and the acyclic analog 8-[(3R)-1,3-dihydroxy-4-yl]-acetamido-3-amino-5-ethyl-6-phenyl-phenanthridinium (3) were prepared. Based on to their different stability, only the acyclic derivative 3 seems to be suitable for oligonucleotide synthesis. Furthermore, the acyclic ethidium nucleoside analog 3 exhibits comparable absorption and emission properties of the underivatized ethidium (1).