Hydrogen-bonding linkage of thymidine derivatives with carboxylic acid and pyridyl groups in a crystalline state.

Thymidine derivatives with carboxylic acid and pyridyl groups were synthesized for constructing one-dimensional network structure based on hydrogen bonding in crystalline state. The solid sate structures and hydrogen bonding networks of the thymidine derivatives were characterized by single X-ray diffraction analysis. The thymidine derivatives formed a zwitterion structure with a pyridinium proton and a carboxylate moiety in a crystalline state due to transfer of a proton from the carboxylic acid to the pyridyl moiety. Strong hydrogen bonds between the pyridinium proton and the carboxylate moiety connected the thymidine units, resulting in a one-dimensional polymeric structure with a uniform direction reminiscent of the structure of single-strand polythymidine. The chemical structure of the pyridyl group affects the hydrogen-bonding networks. The well-designed hydrogen-bonding interaction served as connecting parts for polythymidine mimics even in the presence of other hydrogen-bonding motifs such as nucleobases.