Acid/Base-Catalyzed Functional Group Metathesis Approach to Methoxy Group Isotopic Exchange of Aryl Methyl Ethers
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Updated: Oct 31, 2026

A Microwave-Assisted Direct Heteroarylation of Ketones Using Transition Metal Catalysis
Published on: February 16, 2020
Bu-Hong Zhang1, Tong Wang2, Zengyu Zhang3
1Key Laboratory of Advanced Light Conversion Materials and Biophotonics, School of Chemistry and Life Resources, Renmin University of China, Beijing100872, China.
Abstract:
We report a practical method for the direct isotopic exchange of methoxy groups in aryl methyl ethers using labeled methanol as an isotope source. A base-catalyzed system (t-BuOK/18-crown-6) is effective for electron-deficient substrates, whereas an acid-catalyzed system (MeOTf) is optimal for electron-rich substrates. Both protocols afforded deuterated products in high yields with excellent deuterium incorporation. The utility is demonstrated by labeling drug molecules and serving as an internal standard for HPLC-MS/MS analysis.
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