A non-enzymatic stereoselective cyclization of .beta.-NAD.sup.+ to yield cyclic ADP-ribose (cADPR). By heating .beta.-NAD.sup.+ in an anhydrous solvent in the presence of a metal halide and a nonnucleophilic base, cADPR was obtained as the sole cyclic isomer in yields as high as 28%. .alpha.-NAD was also converted into cADPR under the same reaction conditions. Several analogs of cADPR have also been synthesized and some of these analogs have a greater Ca.sup.++ release activity than cADPR itself.