Synthesis of 4′-aryl-2′,3′-dideoxynucleoside analogues

A series of 4′-aryl-2′,3′-dideoxynucleoside analogues were synthesized from optically pure 5-oxo-2-aryl-tetrahydrofuran-2-carboxylic acids up to 62% overall yield. 5-Oxo-2-aryl-tetrahydrofuran-2-carboxylic acids were obtained from 2-hydroxy-3-arylcyclopent-2-en-1-ones by asymmetric oxidation in up to 38-57% yield.