Hydantoin nucleosides were synthesized from a protected methyl 2-deoXy
-D-ribofuranoside in a Friedel-Crafts catalyzed silyl-Hilbert-Johnson
reaction as modified by Vorbruggen. Atypical byproducts are accounted
for by assuming the initial step being a ring opening of the sugar to
give an acyclic glycos-1-yl cation.