Abstract
Several 5-(4-substituted benzyl)-6-azauracils have been synthesized from the corresponding benzaldehydes. The 5-benzyl-6-azauracils were silylated with hexamethyldisilazane and then glycosylated with aliphatic halides, e.g., (2-acetoxyethoxy)methyl bromide and 1,3-dibenzyloxy-2-chloromethoxypropane, to give protected acyclic nucleosides which were deprotected to afford acyclonucleosides of 5-(4-substituted benzyl)-6-azauracils. None of the compounds exhibited significant antiviral activity against herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and type 2 (HSV-2) in vitro.