Preparation of Deuterium Labeled Compounds by Pd/C-Al-D₂O Facilitated Selective H-D Exchange Reactions

The chemo/regioselective H-D exchange of amino acids and synthetic building blocks by an environmentally benign Pd/C-Al-D₂O catalytic system is described. Due to the importance of isotope labeled compounds in medicinal chemistry and structural biology, notably their use as improved drug candidates and biological probes, the efficient and selective deuteration methods are of great interest. The approach is based on selective H-D exchange reactions where the deuterium source is simple D₂O. D₂ gas is generated in situ from the reaction of aluminum and D₂O, while the commercially available palladium catalyst assists the H-D exchange reaction. The high selectivity and efficiency, as well as the simplicity and safe nature of the procedure make this method an environmentally benign alternative to current alternatives.