Patent ID: 7393954

Claim:
A method for synthesizing pentostatin, a pentostatin analog, pentostatin aglycone, or a pentostatin aglycone analog which method comprises the steps of: converting a dialkyl tartarate to a succinonitrile derivative having the formula: wherein Z is OR 15 , wherein R 15 is a protecting group; reacting the succinonitrile derivative with an iminoether selected from: (a) an iminoether having the formula wherein R is a protecting group or wherein X is O, S, NH, or CH 2 ; or (b) an iminoether having the formula wherein R 16 is wherein R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 , and R 6 are independently selected from OH, H, methyl, alkyl, CH 2 OH, a halogen, a substituted or unsubstituted O—R′ group, a substituted or unsubstituted S—R′ group, or a NR′R″ group, wherein R′ and R″ are independently a straight-chained or substituted alkyl or alkenyl group; or (c) an iminoether having the formula wherein R 17 is wherein R 7 , R 8 , R 9 , R 10 , R 11 , R 12 , R 13 , and R 14 are independently selected from OH, H, methyl, alkyl, CH 2 OH, a halogen, a substituted or unsubstituted O—R′″ group, a substituted or unsubstituted S—R″′ group, or a NR″′R″″ group, wherein R′″ or R″″ are independently a straight-chained or substituted alkyl or alkenyl group; to form a imidazole ring compound, wherein the imidazole ring compound comprises a moiety having a cyano group; reducing the cyano group on the imidazole ring compound to a primary amino group; cyclizing the primary amino group with a second amino group on the imidazole ring compound; and removing any protecting groups to obtain pentostatin, pentostatin aglycone, a pentostatin compound, wherein the pentostatin compound is selected from: (a) a pentostatin analog in which the oxygen atom in the sugar moiety is replaced with a sulfur atom, a NH group, or a CH 2 group; (b) a pentostatin analog in which the sugar moiety is based on arabinose, xylose, ribose, lyxose glucose, galactose, manose, gulose, idose, talose, altrose, allose, fructose, sorbose or tagatose instead of deoxyribose; and (c) a pentostation aglycone analog which does not contain a sugar moiety, and wherein the carbon atom between the two nitrogen atoms on the seven-member ring is altered.