Synthesis of novel 9-aryl and heteroarylpurine derivatives via copper mediated coupling reaction

A series of 9-(hetero)arylpurine derivatives has been prepared through N-arylation of 6-chloropurine with boronic acids in the presence of copper(II) acetate. Screening reaction conditions in terms of bases and solvents led to the successful coupling of a series of sterically demanding (hetero)arylboronic acids, never described so far. The coupling products were next readily converted into the target adenine derivatives. The described procedure provides easy access to original fragments for screening applications. Moreover these 9-aryl-6-chloropurine derivatives might be useful as intermediates for the preparation of purine derivatives with potential biological properties.