A facile and efficient synthesis of (Purin-6-yl)alanines.

(Purin-6-yl)alanines, a new class of amino acid-nucleobase conjugates, were synthesized by palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions of protected iodozincalanines with 6-iodopurines (9-Bn-6-iodopurine and 9-THP-6-iodopurine as well as acyl-protected 6-iodopurine ribonucleoside and 2-deoxyribonucleoside). Free purine base and nucleosides bearing alanine in position 6 were obtained after complete deprotection of the products of cross-coupling reactions.