Deuterium-labelling

Two of the most important functions in the application of neutron scattering are the use of deuterium labelling for the study of molecular confomiation in the bulk state and the use of deuterium solvent in polymer solutions. In the following, we will consider several different applications of die general fomuda to deuteration. 

The mechanism of the reduction remains uncertain. The work of E. D. Williams, K. A. Krieger and A. R. Day (1953) using deuterium-labelled aluminium isopropoxide, shows that hydrogen atoms are transferred predominantly from the central carbon atom of an isopropoxide group to the carbon atom of the carbonyl group undergoing reduction, the process probably involving a cyclic complex ... 

Radiolabeled folate provides a powerful tool for folate bioavaHabiUty studies in animals and for diagnostic procedures in humans. Deuteration at the 3- and 5-positions of the central benzene ring of foHc acid (31) was accompHshed by catalytic debromination (47,48) or acid-cataly2ed exchange reaction (49). Alternatively, deuterium-labeled fohc acid (32) was prepared by condensing pteroic acid with commercially available labeled glutamic acid (50). 

Sample requirements Solids or liquids, typically 5—10 cm in diameter, usually deuterium labeled... 

Nucleophilic substitution in cyclohexyl systems is quite slow and is often accompanied by extensive elimination. The stereochemistry of substitution has been determined with the use of a deuterium-labeled substrate (entry 6). In the example shown, the substitution process occurs with complete inversion of configuration. By NMR amdysis, it can be determined that there is about 15% of rearrangement by hydride shift accon any-ing solvolysis in acetic acid. This increases to 35% in formic acid and 75% in trifiuoroacetic acid. The extent of rearrangement increases with decreasing solvent... 

The occurrence of syn elimination in 5-decyl systems has been demonstrated with the use of diastereomeric deuterium-labeled substrates. Stereospecifically labeled 5-substituted decane derivatives were prepared and subjected to appropriate elimination conditions. By comparison of the amount of deuterium in the E and Z isomers of the product, it was... 

The rearrangement of the simplest possible case, 1,5-hexadiene, has been studied using deuterium labeling. The activation enthalpy is 33.5kcal/mol, and the entropy of activation is — 13.8eu. The substantially negative entropy reflects the formation of the cyclic transition state. 

On heating at 225°C, 5-aUykyclohexa-l,3-diene, A, undergoes intramolecular cycloaddition to give the tricyclic nonene B. The mechanism of formation of B was probed using the deuterium-labeled sample of A which is shown. Indicate the position of deuterium labels in product B if the reaction proceeds by (a) a [2 - - 2] cycloaddition or (b) a [4 -t- 2] cycloaddition. 

Compound 1 undergoes rearrangement to 2 in SO2 at — 66°C. The deuterium label becomes imiformly scrambled among all the carbon atoms in 2. 

The decarbonyiation of the two labeled pentenals shown below has been studied. Write a mechanism that could explain the distribution of deuterium label found in the two products. 

A deuterium labeling study has been performed with the results shown. Discuss the details of the mechanism that are revealed by these results. Is there a feasible mechanism that would have led to B having an alternative label distribution ... 

The ripple experiment works as follows In Fig. 6, HDH and DHD are depicted by open and filled circles where the filled circles represent the deuterium labeled portions of the molecule and the open circles are the normal (protonated) portions of the chains. Initially, the average concentration vs. depth of the labeled portions of the molecules is 0.5, as seen along the normal to the interface, unless chain-end segregation exists at / = 0. If the chains reptate, the chain ends diffuse across the interface before the chain centers. This will lead to a ripple or an excess of deuterium on the HDH side and a depletion on the DHD side of the interface as indicated in the concentration profile shown at the right in Fig. 6. However, when the molecules have diffused distances comparable to Rg, the ripple will vanish and a constant concentration profile at 0.5 will again be found. 

Enolizalion of conjugated or /3,y-unsatiirated enones and dienones in O-deiiterated solvents facilitates the introduction of deuterium labels into positions as far as three and five carbon atoms away from a given ketone function. Exchange of the activated hydrogens in androst-4-en-3-one (12) provides a good illustration of the potential of this method. Saturation of the double bond (section V) in the deuterated enone (13) followed by back exchange of the a-deuteriums (section II-B) proves to be an excellent method for the preparation of 6,6-d2-5a-androstan-3-one (15). ... 

Isolated tetrasubstituted double bonds do not react under these conditions and the saturation of trisubstituted double bonds is extremely slow, thus limiting the general utility of the method. This difference in reactivity is used to advantage for the selective deuteration of the -double bond in androsta-l,4-diene-3,17-dione (138). In homogeneous solution, saturation usually occurs from the a-side and consequently the deuterium labels are in... 

Deuterioboration of 5a-cholest-2-ene (171), followed by oxidation of the alkylborane intermediate with hydrogen peroxide in the presence of sodium hydroxide, illustrates the application of this method for the preparation of c/5-deuterium labeled alcohols.(For the preparation of tra 5 -deuterium labeled alcohols see section VII-A.) The predominant reaction product is 2a-di-5a-cholestan-3a-ol (172, 1.03 D/mole) which is accompanied by 3a-di-5a-cholestan-2a-ol (173) and other minor products." ... 

Only one of these methods, namely the reaction of halides with lithium aluminum deuteride, is a true displacement reaction, following the same course as the previously discussed displacement of sulfonate esters (section Vl-A). Thus, lithium aluminum deuteride treatment of 7a- and 7jS-bromo-3 -benzoyloxy-5a-cholestanes (195) and (196) gives the corresponding deuterium labeled cholestanols (197) and (198) respectively." ... 

Treatment of oc-cyclopropyl ketones with lithium in a mixture of N,N-d2 propylamine and hexamethylphosphortriamide is a recently reported method for deuterium labeling via reductive ring opening. This reaction provides y-labeled ketones in good yield (70-100%) and isotopic purity (85-93%). 

Deuterium labeling of certain positions in the steroid nucleus can be a serious problem if suitably functionalized starting materials are not available or if a particular part of the molecule to be labeled is unsuitable for the various reactions described previously in this chapter. In these cases, the only practical solution to this problem is to incorporate the appropriately labeled carbon fragment by synthesis of the desired skeleton. 

Deuterium labeling of C-18 has also been accomplished by an alternate procedure adapted from the Nagata steroid synthesis. During the course of the total synthesis of pregnanolone, thevC-18 function is introduced in the form of a nitrile group. Reduction of this function in intermediate (247) with lithium aluminum deuteride leads to a deuterated imine (248), which upon Wolff-Kishner reduction and acid-catalyzed hydrolysis... 

During the course of a mass spectrometric study of D-homo-14-hydroxy steroids, it was necessary to prepare the corresponding C-8 deuterium labeled analogs. The preparation of these uncommon steroid derivatives has been achieved by repeating the Torgov total synthesis [(257) (262)] with a deuterium-labeled bicyclic starting material (258). Both of the resulting 14-hydroxy epimers, (261) and (262), exhibited better than 90% isotopic purity. ... 

Site-specific deuterium labeling of steroids can also be accomplished by biosynthetic procedures, using deuterated precursors, but these methods are beyond the scope of this chapter. For reviews of this subject see, for example, ref. 45, 54 and 55. 

During an attempt to metalate a glycal with /-BuLi, it was discovered by deuterium labeling that a TBDMS ether can be deprotonated. °- ... 

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