Five pyrimidine C-nucleosides were prepared via Heck-type coupling reactions. These derivatives are designed to mimic dC and dU (or T). The minor groove O2 carbonyl in each derivative is replaced by a hydrogen, a fluorine, or a methyl group. The hydrogen-substituted dC analogue was converted into a 2’,3’-dideoxynucleoside, which was converted into a 5’-triphosphate derivative. The other two dC analogues were transformed into 5’-triphosphate derivatives immediately after Heck coupling reactions. These analogues will allow an examination of the nature and role of minor groove interactions between incoming triphosphates and various polymerases.
