Non-nucleotide phosphorus ester oligomers

A phosphorus ester oligomer of monomeric units, which oligomer has the structure:

• ##STR70## wherein A is the same or different in each monomeric unit and each is independently selected from the group consisting of oxygen, sulfur, lower alkyl, substituted or unsubstituted alkylamino, substituted or unsubstituted arylamino and aminoalkyl;
• B.sub.1 and B.sub.2 are the same or different and each is independently selected from hydrogen, lower alkyl, a labeling group, a protecting group, a phosphoramidyl or a phosphomonoesteryl;
• R.sub.1 is the same or different in each monomeric unit, and in at least one of the monomeric units is independently selected from:
• (i) an aliphatic alicyclic diol wherein the diol hydroxyl groups are non-vicinal or are substituted;
• (ii) an acyclic aliphatic diol having an amino group with at least one hydrogen substitution moiety;
• (iii) an alicyclic or polycyclic diol, optionally substituted with a carboxy or carboxyalkyl substituent;
• (iv) an aromatic ring or ring system having two substitutions independently selected from the group consisting of hydroxy or hydroxyalkyl;
• (v) R.sub.1 is optionally substituted with a detectable label;
• and n is at least two.

A non-nucleotide monomeric unit, having the structure:

• ##STR71## wherein X.sub.1 is a protecting group;
• X.sub.2 is a branched or unbranched lower alkyl group or a substituted or unsubstituted alkoxy group;
• Y is a branched or unbranched lower alkyl group;
• and
• R.sub.1 is selected from the group consisting of (i) a non-vicinal diol attached to a hydrogen bond donor functionality;
• (ii) a hydrogen bond acceptor selected from an ether;
• (iii) a non-vicinal diol attached to a hydrophobic functionality or a vicinal diol attached to an aliphatic or alicyclic hydrophobic functionality;
• (iv) a diol attached to a ring substituted anionic functionality;
• and (v) a cationic moiety attached to a non-vicinal or alicyclic diol, and R.sub.1 is optionally substituted with a detectable label.

A non-nucleotide monomeric unit, having the structure:

• ##STR72## wherein X is a protecting group;
• and
• R.sub.1 is selected from the group consisting of (i) a non-vicinal diol attached to a hydrogen bond donor functionality;
• (ii) a hydrogen bond acceptor selected from an ether;
• (iii) a non-vicinal diol attached to a hydrophobic functionality or a vicinal diol attached to an aliphatic or alicyclic hydrophobic functionality;
• (iv) a diol attached to a ring substituted anionic functionality;
• and (v) a cationic moiety attached to a non-vicinal or alicyclic diol, and R.sub.1 is optionally substituted with a detectable label.