Preparation and properties of the O-methyl derivatives of 9-beta-D-arabinofuranosyladenine.

The previously reported resistance of 9-substituted adenines to ring alkylation in alkaline medium was profited from to prepare all seven possible O' methyl derivatives of the therapeutically important 9-beta-D-arabinofuranosyladenine (araA) by mild methylation of the latter with dimethylsulfate in aqueous alkaline medium. All the products were fractionated and isolated in a single step on a Dowex OH- column. The sequence of elution of the various derivatives was strikingly similar to that for the O' methyl derivatives of 1-beta-D-arabinofuranosylcytosine, previously reported, suggestive of a similar sequence of acidities of the sugar hydroxyls. The products were identified by various criteria, including PMR spectroscopy, extensive data for which are supplied. The 2'-O-methyl and 3'-O-methyl derivatives of araA exhibited appreciably lower susceptibility to calf intestinal adenosine deaminase than the parent araA. The 5'-O-methyl analogue was fully resistant to enzymatic deamination.