Abstract We studied the behaviour of 8-azido-2′-deoxyadenosine and 8-bromo-2′- deoxyadenosine in aqueous solutions of ammonia and primary and secondary amines. Unexpectedly, 8-Azido-2′-deoxyadenosine is converted to 8-amino-2′-deoxyadenosine in excellent yields. The use of this reaction for the preparation of 8-aminoadenine derivatives needed for the preparation of oligonucleotides carrying 8-aminoadenine is discussed.
