A series of S6,9-bisacyloxymethyl-6-mercaptopurine (6,9-bis-6-MP) prodrug derivatives was synthesized and characterized. The solubilities of the derivatives in solvents (vehicles), which exhibited a wide range of polarities from water to oleic acid, were measured. The abilities of the prodrugs to deliver 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) from the vehicles have also been determined, and experimental fluxes and permeability coefficients (Kp) have been calculated for a large number of prodrug: vehicle combinations. Generally the best prodrugs of the series in terms of delivering 6-MP, regardless of the vehicle, were the first two members--the bisacetyl- and the bispropionyloxymethyl-6-mercaptopurine prodrugs. This result has been attributed mainly to the increased water solubility of these two prodrugs compared with that of 6-MP and the other prodrugs, since all of the prodrugs are much more lipid soluble than 6-MP. For three vehicles--isopropyl myristate, propylene glycol, and water--there was a good correlation between log experimental Kp for the delivery of 6-MP by the prodrugs from those vehicles and the theoretical solubility parameters of the prodrugs. The stabilities of the bisacetyl-(2), bisproprionyl-(3), and bisbutyryloxymethyl-6-mercaptopurine (4) derivatives were determined in buffer and in buffer containing enzymes leached from the dermis. Prodrug 2 was more stable than 3 or 4 in the buffer containing the enzymes, while 4 was more stable than 2 or 3 in the plain buffer.