The Mechanism of RNA Strand Scission: An Experimental Measure of the Brønsted Coefficient, <i>β</i>_nuc

Abstract

A closer look at RNA cleavage: A series of fluorine-bearing nucleotide analogues (X) were incorporated into RNA to perturb the pKa value of the 2′-OH group systematically. These analogues enable the use of physical organic approaches to investigate bonding to the nucleophile during the RNA scission reaction. Measurement of the Brønsted coefficient, βnuc, provides new insights into the transition-state structure for this classic reaction. Supporting information for this article is available on the WWW under http://www.wiley-vch.de/contents/jc_2002/2007/z605124_s.pdf or from the author. Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.