SYNTHESIS OF CIS-1-[(2-HYDROXYMETHYL)CYCLOPENTYL]URIDINE AND DETERMINATION OF ITS CONFORMATION BY X-RAY CRYSTALLOGRAPHY AND AM1 THEORETICALCALCULATIONS

The title compound 1 was prepared from racemic cis-2-hydroxymethylcycl o pentylamine, constructing the heterocyclic base in a two-step proced ure (64 % yield). The crystal structure of the compound was determined and its conformation was studied using AM1 theoretical calculations. The calculated low-energy conformations were similar to those reported for several other nucleoside analogues, and one of them closely corre sponded to the X-ray structure.