Continuous Flow Photochemistry for the Rapid and Selective Synthesis of 2′-Deoxy and 2′,3′-Dideoxynucleosides

A new photochemical flow reactor has been developed for the photo-induced electron-transfer deoxygenation reaction to produce 2'-deoxy and 2',3'-dideoxynucleosides. The continuous flow format significantly improved both the efficiency and selectivity of the reaction, with the streamlined multi-step sequence directly furnishing the highly desired unprotected deoxynucleosides.