due to the presence of both a-and /3-isomers.] IR (CHC13) vm,, 3340 (NH, OH), 1730 (OCO), 1710 (COCH3), 1650 (7-pyrone), 1610, and 1585 cm™1 (Ar); MS (FAB), m/z (relative intensity) 731 (0.2, MH+), 730 (0.1, M+) 391 (0.1, O-sugar), 356 (0.8, MH+sugar), 355 (0.3, M+ -sugar), 340 [0.8, MH+ -(O-sugar)], 339 [1.8, M+ -(O-sugar)], 338 (0.9, 339 -H), 321 (1.2, 338 -OH), 320 (1.9, 338 -H20), ], 225 (2.8, 391 -C7H4N04), 122 (8.3, C6H4N02), 121 (100, 122 -H), 104 (15.3, C7H40).Mild Base Deprotection of 11 Affording the Glycosides 13 and 14. Compound 11 (85 mg) was dissolved in 15 mL of acetone, the solution was treated with 0.1 N NaOH (9 mL), and the reaction mixture was stirred for 30 min under a nitrogen atmosphere. The pH of the solution was adjusted to 8 by adding a few drops of 5% HC1 and the solution was then extracted with ethyl acetate (5 X 25 mL). The ethyl acetate extract was washed with water and dried (Na2S04). The solvent was removed under reduced pressure and the residue was dissolved in acetone and applied to preparative TLC plates and eluted with CHCl3-MeOH (4:1). Three bands appeared on the plates which were removed separately and the silica was extracted with acetone and stirred for 30 min and filtered. Removal of the solvent from band I gave ' (14) gave Mop5'a2'p5'A2'p5'I (30) in 17% yield. By acid hydrolysis, 30 could be converted to the corresponding 5'-monophosphate, or, by reaction with pyrophosphate in DMF, to the corresponding 2-5A analogue, ppp5'A2'p5'A2,p5,I (5b). The following oligonucleotides were prepared by using similar methodology: ppp5,A2,p5,A2'p5'A (lb), ppp5'A2'p5T2,p5'A (4b), ppp5T2,p5'A2,p5'A (3b), and ppp5'A2,p5'A2'p5' (2'dA) (2b).The natural occurrence of the 2,,5'-phosphodiester bond in S'-triphosphoryladenylyl^'-i-SOadenylyl^'-»-5)adenosine (2-5Á or 2',5'-oligo A), a mediator of interferon action,2 *™4 and in pre-tRNA,6 has led to increased interest 24 (trimethylammonium salt),