Reinvestigation of deoxyribonucleoside phosphorothioites: synthesis and properties of deoxyribonucleoside-3' dimethyl phosphites.

Further investigation of the synthesis of deoxyribonucleoside-3' (t-butyl) O-(2-cyanoethyl) phosphorothioites as monomer building units for the phosphorothioite approach has led us to conclude that internucleotidic bond formation proceeded via bis(deoxyribonucleoside-3') (2-cyanoethyl) phosphite intermediates, which proved to be activated by iodine, rather than the mechanism previously reported. In connection with this study, deoxyribonucleoside-3' dimethyl phosphites were synthesized and detailed properties of them are also described.