Modified nucleotides

1. A method of converting a compound of formula R—O-allyl, R 2 N(allyl), RNH(allyl), RN(allyl) 2 or R—S-allyl to a corresponding compound in which the allyl group is removed and replaced by hydrogen, said method comprising the steps of reacting a compound of formula R—O-allyl, R 2 N(allyl), RNH(allyl), RN(allyl) 2 or R—S-allyl in aqueous solution with a transition metal comprising a transition metal and one or more ligands selected from the group comprising water-soluble phosphine and water-soluble nitrogen-containing phosphine ligands, wherein the or each R is a water-soluble biological molecule, which is part of a nucleoside, a nucleotide or a polynucleotide molecule, wherein said nucleoside, nucleotide or polynucleotide further comprises a detectable label linked to the base thereof by a cleavable or non-cleavable linker.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said linker is cleavable.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said detectable label is a fluorophore.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said linker is acid labile, photolabile or contains a disulfide linkage.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said allyl group and said label are removed in a single step.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said transition metal is selected from the group comprising platinum, palladium, rhodium, ruthenium, osmium and iridium.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said transition metal is palladium.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said group of ligands comprise derivatised triaryl phosphine ligands or derivatised trialkyl phosphine ligands.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein said group of ligands are derivatised with one or more functionalities selected from the group comprising amino, hydroxyl, carboxyl and sulfonate groups.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the group of ligands comprises 3,3′,3″-phosphinidynetris (benzenesulfonic acid) and tris(2-carboxyethyl)phosphines and their salts.

11. A method of converting a compound of formula R—O-allyl to a corresponding compound in which the allyl group is removed and replaced by hydrogen, said method comprising the steps of reacting a compound of formula R—O-allyl in aqueous solution with a transition metal comprising a transition metal and one or more ligands selected from the group comprising water-soluble phosphine and water-soluble nitrogen-containing phosphine ligands, wherein the R is a water-soluble biological molecule, which is part of a nucleoside, a nucleotide or a polynucleotide molecule, wherein said nucleoside, nucleotide or polynucleotide further comprises a detectable label linked to the base thereof by a cleavable or non-cleavable linker.

12. A method of converting a compound of formula R 2 N(allyl) to a corresponding compound in which the allyl group is removed and replaced by hydrogen, said method comprising the steps of reacting a compound of formula R 2 N(allyl) in aqueous solution with a transition metal comprising a transition metal and one or more ligands selected from the group comprising water-soluble phosphine and water-soluble nitrogen-containing phosphine ligands, wherein each R is independently a water-soluble biological molecule, which is part of a nucleoside, a nucleotide or a polynucleotide molecule, wherein said nucleoside, nucleotide or polynucleotide further comprises a detectable label linked to the base thereof by a cleavable or non-cleavable linker.

13. A method of converting a compound of formula RNH(allyl) to a corresponding compound in which the allyl group is removed and replaced by hydrogen, said method comprising the steps of reacting a compound of formula RNH(allyl) in aqueous solution with a transition metal comprising a transition metal and one or more ligands selected from the group comprising water-soluble phosphine and water-soluble nitrogen-containing phosphine ligands, wherein the R is a water-soluble biological molecule, which is part of a nucleoside, a nucleotide or a polynucleotide molecule, wherein said nucleoside, nucleotide or polynucleotide further comprises a detectable label linked to the base thereof by a cleavable or non-cleavable linker.

14. A method of converting a compound of formula RN(allyl) 2 to a corresponding compound in which the allyl group is removed and replaced by hydrogen, said method comprising the steps of reacting a compound of formula RN(allyl) 2 in aqueous solution with a transition metal comprising a transition metal and one or more ligands selected from the group comprising water-soluble phosphine and water-soluble nitrogen-containing phosphine ligands, wherein the R is a water-soluble biological molecule, which is part of a nucleoside, a nucleotide or a polynucleotide molecule, wherein said nucleoside, nucleotide or polynucleotide further comprises a detectable label linked to the base thereof by a cleavable or non-cleavable linker.

15. A method of converting a compound of formula R—S-allyl to a corresponding compound in which the allyl group is removed and replaced by hydrogen, said method comprising the steps of reacting a compound of formula R—S-allyl in aqueous solution with a transition metal comprising a transition metal and one or more ligands selected from the group comprising water-soluble phosphine and water-soluble nitrogen-containing phosphine ligands, wherein the R is a water-soluble biological molecule, which is part of a nucleoside, a nucleotide or a polynucleotide molecule, wherein said nucleoside, nucleotide or polynucleotide further comprises a detectable label linked to the base thereof by a cleavable or non-cleavable linker.