Recent Developments for the Deuterium and Tritium Labeling of Organic Molecules

Organic compounds labeled with hydrogen isotopes play a crucial role in numerous areas, from materials science to medicinal chemistry. Indeed, while the replacement of hydrogen by deuterium gives rise to improved absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) properties in drugs and enables the preparation of internal standards for analytical mass spectrometry, the use of tritium-labeled compounds is a key technique all along drug discovery and development in the pharmaceutical industry. For these reasons, the interest in new methodologies for the isotopic enrichment of organic molecules and the extent of their applications are equally rising. In this regard, this Review intends to comprehensively discuss the new developments in this area over the last years (2017-2021). Notably, besides the fundamental hydrogen isotope exchange (HIE) reactions and the use of isotopically labeled analogues of common organic reagents, a plethora of reductive and dehalogenative deuteration techniques and other transformations with isotope incorporation are emerging and are now part of the labeling toolkit.

[4+2] Cycloaddition Reactions of β-Naphtha-1-thioquinones Generated from 2-Naphthols and DAST

An original and facile method for the generation of β-naphtha-1-thioquinone using DAST and 2-naphthol has been developed. A series of dehydro-2-naphthol-1-sluphides or naphtha-oxathiane derivatives were synthesized by in-situ Diels-Alder cycloaddition...

Base-Catalyzed H/D Exchange Reaction of Difluoromethylarenes

The budding deuteriodifluoromethyl group (CF₂D) is a potentially significant functional group in medicinal chemistry. Herein, we investigated t-BuOK-catalyzed H/D exchange reaction of difluoromethylarenes in DMSO-d₆ solution. The method provides excellent deuterium incorporation at the difluoromethyl group. Meanwhile, the effect of a trace amount of D₂O in DMSO-d₆ solution on the deuteration reaction was also investigated.

Late-stage difluoromethylation: concepts, developments and perspective

This review describes the conceptual advances that have led to the multiple difluoromethylation processes making use of well-defined CF₂H sources.

Ir(III)-Catalyzed C-H Functionalization of Triphenylphosphine Oxide toward 3-Aryl Oxindoles

With triphenylphosphine oxide serving as both the directing group and the reagent, we have developed a Cp*Ir(III)-catalyzed direct C-H functionalization of triphenylphosphine oxide with 3-diazooxindoles to afford a range of 3-(2-(diphenylphosphoryl)phenyl)indolin-2-one derivatives in moderate to excellent yields. The title products are potentially important building blocks for organic synthesis through various chemical transformations. This protocol is simple and efficient and offers high atom economy with only N₂ as the byproduct.