Preparation of deuterium-labeled cocaine and benzoylecgonine

The preparation of deuterium-labeled cocaine and benzoylecgonine by a site-specific method is reported. This method involves the reductive dehalogenation of appropriately substituted derivatives by a NaBD4 - PdCl2 system. By the judicious choice of halogen-substituted aromatic systems, a wide variety of specifically deuterated compounds of biological interest can be prepared.