Room‐Temperature Palladium‐Catalyzed Deuterogenolysis of Carbon Oxygen Bonds towards Deuterated Pharmaceuticals

Abstract

Abstract Site‐specific incorporation of deuterium into drug molecules to study and improve their biological properties is crucial for drug discovery and development. Herein, we describe a palladium‐catalyzed room‐temperature deuterogenolysis of carbon–oxygen bonds in alcohols and ketones with D 2 balloon for practical synthesis of deuterated pharmaceuticals and chemicals with benzyl‐site (sp 3 C−H) D‐incorporation. The highlights of this deoxygenative deuteration strategy are mild conditions, broad scope, practicability and high chemoselectivity. To enable the direct use of D 2 O, electrocatalytic D 2 O‐splitting is adapted to in situ supply D 2 on demand. With this system, the precise incorporation of deuterium in the metabolic position (benzyl‐site) of ibuprofen is demonstrated in a sustainable and practical way with D 2 O.