Meteorite-catalyzed intermolecular trans -glycosylation produces nucleosides under proton beam irradiation.

Di-glycosylated adenines act as glycosyl donors in the intermolecular trans -glycosylation of pyrimidine nucleobases under proton beam irradiation conditions. Formamide and chondrite meteorite NWA 1465 increased the yield and the selectivity of the reaction. The glycosyl transfer process was highly regioselective in yielding canonical N 1 -pyrimidine nucleosides, the natural β-anomers prevailing in the presence of formamide and NWA 1465. These data highlight the possible role of intermolecular trans -glycosylation in the prebiotic formation of purine and pyrimidine nucleosides, avoiding the occurrence of independent synthetic pathways.