Abstract
Thymidine was converted to its 5′-epoxy derivative, which was reacted with nucleophiles to give 5′-C-aminomethyl-, 5′-C-bromomethyl-, 5′-C-cyanomethyl, and 5′-C-methoxymethylthymidine derivatives with defined stereochemistry. 5′-C-ally-, 5′-C-hydroxymethyl-, 5′-C-hydroxypropyl-, and 5′-C-(imidazole-4-acetamido)methyl-thymidine derivatives were also prepared. The 5′-C-branched thymidines were converted to the corresponding phosphoramidites.