A series of donor-acceptor-substituted alkynes, 2 a-f, was synthesized in which the length of the π-conjugated polyyne spacer between the N,N-diisopropylanilino donor and the 1,1,4,4-tetracyanobuta-1,3-diene (TCBD) acceptor was systematically changed. The effect of this structural change on the optoelectronic properties of the molecules and, ultimately, their third-order optical nonlinearity was comprehensively investigated. The branched N,N-diisopropyl groups on the anilino donor moieties combined with the nonplanar geometry of 2 a-f imparted exceptionally high solubility to these chromophores. This important property allowed for performing INADEQUATE NMR measurements without (13) C labeling, which, in turn, resulted in a complete assignment of the carbon skeleton in chromophores 2 a-f and the determination of the (13) C-(13) C coupling constants. This body of data provided unprecedented insight into characteristic (13) C chemical shift patterns in push-pull-substituted polyynes. Electrochemical and UV/Vis spectroscopic studies showed that the HOMO-LUMO energy gap decreases with increasing length of the polyyne spacer, while this effect levels off for spacers with more than four acetylene units. The third-order optical nonlinearity of this series of molecules was determined by measuring the rotational averages of the third-order polarizabilities (γrot ) by degenerate four-wave mixing (DFWM). These latter studies revealed high third-order optical nonlinearities for the new chromophores; most importantly, they provided fundamental insight into the effect of the conjugated spacer length in D-A polyynes, that can be exploited in the future design of suitable charge-transfer chromophores for applications in optoelectronic devices.

A modular, efficient, and practical methodology for the preparation of 4-and 3-substituted benzene and aniline C-ribonucleosides was developed. Addition of 4-or 3-bromophenyllithium (2 or 12) to TBDMS-protected ribonolactone 3 gave hemiacetal adducts 4 or 13 as pure β-anomers. Their reduction with Et 3 SiH and BF 3 ·Et 2 O afforded the desired protected 4-or 3-bromophenyl-C-ribonucleosides 6 or 15 in 66 and 75 %, respectively, over two steps from 3. Bromophenyl

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A general modular and practical methodology for preparation of diverse 5-substituted pyridin-2-yl and 6-substituted pyridin-3-yl C-ribonucleosides was developed. Regioselective lithiation of 2,5-dibromopyridine proceeded at position 5 or 2 depending on the solvent, and the resulting bromopyridyl lithium species underwent additions to TBS-protected ribonolactone and follow-up transformations to corresponding acetylated hemiketal intermediates 7 and 10 that were diastereoselectively reduced to give either 5-bromopyridin-2-yl or 6-bromopyridin-3-yl silyl-protected C-ribonucleosides 8 or 11 in 68% and 77% overall yields as pure β-anomers. These bromopyridyl C-nucleoside intermediates were then subjected to a series of palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions, aminations, aminocarbonylations, and hydroxylations to give a series of protected 1β-(5-alkyl-, 5-aryl-, 5-amino-, 5-carbamoyl-, and 5-hydroxypyridin-2-yl)-C-ribonucleosides 13a-i and β-(6-alkyl-, 6-aryl-, 6-amino-, 6-carbamoyl-, and 6-hydroxypyridin-3-yl)-C-ribonucleosides 15a-i. Deprotection of silylated nucleosides by Et(3)N·3HF, TBAF, or TFA gave a series of free C-nucleosides 14a-i and 16a-i.

Iridium(I)-catalyzed allylation of the enantiopure monoprotected copper(I) alkoxide, generated from (S)-5a, with the enantiopure allylic carbonates (R)-9a,b has been developed as the key step in a new approach to C-nucleoside analogues. The anomeric center was thus constructed via a stereocontrolled formation of the C-O rather than C-C bond with retention of configuration. The resulting bisallyl ethers 15a,b (≥90% de and >99% ee) were converted into C-ribosides 29a,b via the Ru-catalyzed ring-closing metathesis, followed by a diastereoselective dihydroxylation catalyzed by OsO(4) or RuO(4) and deprotection. Variation of the absolute configuration of the starting segments 5a and 9a,b allowed a stereocontrolled synthesis of all four α/β-D/L-combinations.

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An efficient and practical methodology of preparation of 6-substituted pyridin-2-yl C-ribonucleosides was developed. A one-pot two-step addition of 2-lithio-6-bromopyridine to TBS-protected ribonolactone followed by acetylation gave 1beta-(6-bromopyridin-2-yl)-1-O-acetyl-2,3,5-tri-O-(tert-butyldimethylsilyl)-D-ribofuranose in high yield. Its reduction with Et(3)SiH and BF(3) x Et(2)O afforded the desired TBS-protected 6-bromopyridine C-ribonucleoside as pure beta-anomer in good overall yield of 63%. This intermediate was then subjected to a series of palladium catalyzed cross-coupling reactions, aminations and aminocarbonylations to give a series of protected 1beta-(6-alkyl-, 6-aryl-, 6-amino-, and 6-carbamoylpyridin-2-yl)-C-ribonucleosides. Deprotection of silylated nucleosides by Et(3)N x 3HF gave a series of title free C-ribonucleosides (12 examples).