The effect of transition metal acetylacetonates [M (AA),] on the methylation of ribo-and deoxyribonucleosides with trimethylsulfonium hydroxide was studied. With ribonucleosides the metal complexes promoted@-methylation at the 2'and 3'positions of the ribosyl group. A comparable effect was not observed in methylation of deoxyribonucleosides. These results are attributed to an increase in the nucleophilicity of the 2'-OH and 3'-OH groups of the ...
