HPLC profiles of all the crude oligonucleotides is a major peak (typically more than 80-90% of the total integrated area) accompanied by some smalf impurities. The reason for such elevated purity is that the noncyclized chains, which are anchored to the support through a phosphate diester bond, are not cleaved from the resin upon oximate treatment, whereas the cyclic molecules linked through a phosphate triester are easily removed. Furthermore, neither the capped sequences nor the polymeric products formed by interchain reactions during cyclization are detached from the polymer. As a result, the main impurities that accompany the CON on the solid support are separated in the filtration step following oximate treatment.This reasoning accounts for the homogeneity of the crude products but also provides an argument for the cyclic character of the isolated oligonucleotides (major peaks). Moreover, their structures have been confirmed by two enzymatic digestion analyses. Complete degradation with snake-venom phosphodiesterase and alkaline phosphatase gives the expected ratio of nucleosides. On the other hand, the synthesized CONS show an increased resistance to degradation with calf-spleen phosphodiesterase under standard conditions, which is complete for the smallest sequences (up to a 12-mer) but decreases as the size of the molecule increases.["] Most of the CONS were also analyzed by mass spectrometry, either negative electrospray or MALDI-TOF or both, and show the expected mass.This simple procedure yields fairly pure products and, with regard to size, allows the limit under which template approaches are no longer efficient to be reached. The method is also amenable to scale-up, and, in fact, some products have been prepared on milligram scales for structural and biological studies.
Experimental Section2: A solution of 1 (4 g) in AcOEt (130 mL) was slowly added to a solution of 2,4,5-trichlorophenoI (4.7 g) and dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCC, 4.9 g) in CH,CI, (22 mL), and the reaction mixture stirred overnight. The filtrate was washed with aqueous NaHCO, and dried, and the solvent removed under vacuum. The resulting oil was purified by chromatography over silica gel eluting with hexanes and increasing amounts of CH,CI,. After precipitation with hexanes 2.8 g of 2 were isolated (34% yield): m.p. =78"C; 'HNMR (200MHz, CDCI,): 6 =7.53, 7.26 (Cl,Ar), 7.35 (d), 7.20 (dd), 7.03 (d, CIAr), 5.60 (OH), 3.82 (CH,); EI-MS: m/z = 366. 3. A solution of tetrarole (0.23 mmol) in dry CH,CN (0.7 mL) was stirred with 5'-0-DMT-nucleoside phosphoramidite (0.23 mmol) and 2 (0.21 mmol) dissolved in CH,CI, (1.7 mL) under an argon atmosphere for 1 h. tBuOOH (0.24 mL, 3~ in toluene) was added, and 10 min later the reaction mixture diluted with CH,CI, and washed with water. The organic phase was dried, concentrated, and precipitated over hexanes. The products were isolated as white foams (65-75 % yield) and used without further purification. 3iP NMR (CDCI,): 6 = ca. -7.8(3a), ca. -10.5 (3b). 4. The amino support (ca. 1 mmol NH, groups) wa...