Thermolytic groups may serve as alternatives to the conventional 2-cyanoethyl group for phosphate/thiophosphate protection in solid-phase oligonucleotide synthesis to prevent DNA alkylation by acrylonitrile generated under the basic conditions used for oligonucleotide deprotection. Additionally, thermolytic groups are attractive in the context of engineering a "heat-driven" process for the synthesis of oligonucleotides on diagnostic microarrays. In these regards, the potential application of pyridine derivatives as thermolytic phosphate/thiophosphate protecting groups has been investigated. Specifically, 2-pyridinepropanol and 2-[N-methyl-N-(2-pyridyl)]aminoethanol were incorporated into deoxyribonucleoside phosphoramidites 7a-d and 9, which were found as efficient as 2-cyanoethyl deoxyribonucleoside phosphoramidites in solid-phase oligonucleotide synthesis. Whereas the removal of 3-(2-pyridyl)-1-propyl phosphate/thiophosphate protecting groups from oligonucleotides is effected within 30 min upon heating at 55 degrees C in concentrated NH4OH or in an aqueous buffer at pH 7.0, cleavage of 2-[N-methyl-N-(2-pyridyl)]aminoethyl groups occurs spontaneously when their phosphate or phosphorothioate esters are formed during oligonucleotide synthesis. The deprotection of these groups follows a cyclodeesterification process generating the bicyclic salts 13 and 14 as side products. These salts do not alkylate or otherwise modify any DNA nucleobases and do not desulfurize a phosphorothioate diester model under conditions mimicking large-scale oligonucleotide deprotection.