C-H Functionalisation for Hydrogen Isotope Exchange

Deuterated phytantriol - A versatile compound for probing material distribution in liquid crystalline lipid phases using neutron scattering

Phytantriol is an interfacially-active lipid that is chemically robust, non-digestible and forms particles with internal bicontinuous cubic phase structures (cubosomes) when dispersed with non-ionic surfactants at ambient and physiological temperatures. The liquid crystalline internal structure of phytantriol-based cubosomes can be changed to alter the interfacial contact area/topology with the aqueous dispersant to trigger bioactive payload release or to alter the local membrane curvature around bound or embedded proteins. To enable the study of payload distribution, structure and transformation kinetics within phytantriol particles by neutron scattering techniques it is desirable to have access to a deuterated version of this molecule but to date a synthetic route has not been available. The first successful synthesis of phytantriol-d₃₉ is presented here alongside a preliminary physical characterisation of related particle structures when phytantriol-d₃₉ is dispersed using two non-ionic surfactants, Tween® 80 and Pluronic® F127. Synchrotron small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) was used to confirm that phytantriol-d₃₉-based nanoparticles in D₂O form similar liquid crystalline structures to those of their natural isotopic abundance (phytantriol/H₂O) counterparts as a function of temperature. Finally, small angle neutron scattering (SANS) with solvent contrast to match out the phytantriol-d₃₉ structuring was used to show that the spatial correlations between the Tween® and Pluronic® non-ionic surfactant molecules are different within dispersed phytantriol-d₃₉ particles with different liquid crystalline structures in D₂O. The surfactant molecules in phytantriol-d₃₉/Tween® 80 particles with Im3m cubic structures were found to follow a self-avoiding walk, whereas in phytantriol-d₃₉/Pluronic® F127 particles with Pn3m cubic structures they were found to follow a more rod-like packing arrangement.

General and Practical Potassium Methoxide/Disilane-Mediated Dehalogenative Deuteration of (Hetero)Arylhalides

Herein we describe a general, mild and scalable method for deuterium incorporation by potassium methoxide/hexamethyldisilane-mediated dehalogenation of arylhalides. With CD₃CN as a deuterium source, a wide array of heteroarenes prevalent in pharmaceuticals and bearing diverse functional groups are labeled with excellent deuterium incorporation (>60 examples). The ipso-selectivity of this method provides precise access to libraries of deuterated indoles and quinolines. The synthetic utility of our method has been demonstrated by the incorporation of deuterium into complex natural and drug-like compounds.

Selective α-Monomethylation by an Amine-Borane/N,N-Dimethylformamide System as the Methyl Source

A new and practical α-monomethylation strategy using an amine-borane/N,N-dimethylformamide (R₃ N-BH₃ /DMF) system as the methyl source was developed. This protocol has been found to be effective in the α-monomethylation of arylacetonitriles and arylacetamides. Mechanistic studies revealed that the formyl group of DMF delivered the carbon and one hydrogen atoms of the methyl group, and R₃ N-BH₃ donated the remaining two hydrogen atoms. Such a unique reaction pathway enabled controllable assemblies of CDH₂ -, CD₂ H-, and CD₃ - units using Me₂ NH-BH₃ /d₇ -DMF, Me₃ N-BD₃ /DMF and Me₃ N-BD₃ /d₇ -DMF systems, respectively. Further application of this method to the facile synthesis of anti-inflammatory flurbiprofen and its varied deuterium-labeled derivatives was demonstrated.

Late-Stage Isotopic Carbon Labeling of Pharmaceutically Relevant Cyclic Ureas Directly from CO2

A robust, click-chemistry-inspired procedure for radiolabeling of cyclic ureas was developed. This protocol, suitable for all carbon isotopes (11 C, 13 C, 14 C), is based on the direct functionalization of carbon dioxide: the universal building block for carbon radiolabeling. The strategy is operationally simple and reproducible in different radiochemistry centers, exhibits remarkably wide substrate scope with short reaction times, and demonstrates superior reactivity as compared to previously reported systems. With this procedure, a variety of pharmaceuticals and an unprotected peptide were labeled with high radiochemical efficiency.

Highly Selective Directed Iridium-Catalyzed Hydrogen Isotope Exchange Reactions of Aliphatic Amides

For the first time, we describe highly selective homogeneous iridium-catalyzed hydrogen isotope exchange (HIE) of unactivated C(sp3 ) centers in aliphatic amides. When using the commercially available Kerr catalyst, the HIE with a series of common antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) linker side chains proceeds with high yields, high regioselectivity, and with deuterium incorporation up to 99 %. The method is fully translatable to the specific requirements of tritium chemistry and its effectiveness was demonstrated by direct tritium labelling of a maytansinoid. The scope of the method can be extended to simple amino acids, with high HIE activity observed for glycine and alanine. In di- and tripeptides, a very interesting protecting-group-dependent tunable selectivity was observed. DFT calculations gave insight into the energies of the transition states, thereby explaining the observed selectivity and the influence of the amino acid protecting groups.

Photocatalytic Deuteration of Halides Using D2 O over CdSe Porous Nanosheets: A Mild and Controllable Route to Deuterated Molecules

A facile and efficient method for deuterium incorporation has been developed by merging photocatalytic C-X bond dissociation and water splitting with porous CdSe nanosheets as the photocatalyst under mild reaction conditions. This reaction displays good functional group tolerance and high selectivity with regard to the number and position of incorporated deuterium atoms, and can be used for the construction of complex molecules in tandem processes.

Ruthenium-catalyzed hydrogen isotope exchange of C(sp3)-H bonds directed by a sulfur atom

We present here the first example of C(sp³)-H activation directed by a sulfur atom. Based on this transformation catalyzed by Ru/C, we have developed a hydrogen isotope exchange reaction for the deuterium and tritium labelling of thioether substructures in complex molecules.

Deuterium- and Tritium-Labelled Compounds: Applications in the Life Sciences

Hydrogen isotopes are unique tools for identifying and understanding biological and chemical processes. Hydrogen isotope labelling allows for the traceless and direct incorporation of an additional mass or radioactive tag into an organic molecule with almost no changes in its chemical structure, physical properties, or biological activity. Using deuterium-labelled isotopologues to study the unique mass-spectrometric patterns generated from mixtures of biologically relevant molecules drastically simplifies analysis. Such methods are now providing unprecedented levels of insight in a wide and continuously growing range of applications in the life sciences and beyond. Tritium (³ H), in particular, has seen an increase in utilization, especially in pharmaceutical drug discovery. The efforts and costs associated with the synthesis of labelled compounds are more than compensated for by the enhanced molecular sensitivity during analysis and the high reliability of the data obtained. In this Review, advances in the application of hydrogen isotopes in the life sciences are described.