Tetra-n-butylammonium Hydroxide: an Efficient Catalyst for N-Alkylation of Pyrimidines and Purines1

An efficient procedure for N-alkylation of pyrimidines and purines in the presence of tetra-n-butylammonium hydroxide (TBAH) is described. The method is very practical and the alkylation can occur at room temperature and the yields of the N-alkyl pyrimidines and purines were found to be excellent.