Abstract
We report a solution-phase synthesis of dimeric PNA-RNA (PNA = peptide nucleic acid) building blocks by using a microwave-assisted Ugi four-component reaction. A mixture of a functionalized amine, a carboxymethyl nucleobase, para-formaldehyde, and N4,2'-O,3'-O-tribenzoyl-5'-deoxy-5'-isocyanocytidine generates the dimeric chimeras in one step. The method is simple, and gives rapid access (5 min) to diversity, as exemplified by the products described here.