Deuterium preparation

Laser photolysis of a precursor may also be used to generate a reagent. In a crossed-beam study of the D + FI2 reaction [24], a hypertliennal beam of deuterium atoms (0.5 to 1 eV translational energy) was prepared by 248 mn photolysis of DI. This preparation method has been widely used for the preparation of molecular free radicals, both in beams and in experiments in a cell, with laser detection of the products. Laser photolysis as a method to prepare reagents in experiments in which the products are optically detected is fiirtlier discussed below. 

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). 

Density. Measurement of the density of water by pycnometry is the classical method (30) for estabHshing deuterium concentrations in heavy water. Very precise measurements can be made by this method, provided the sample is prepared free of suspended or dissolved impurities and the concentration of oxygen-18 in water is about 0.2 mol %. However, in nearly all heavy water manufactured since 1950 in the United States, the... 

The only large-scale use of deuterium in industry is as a moderator, in the form of D2O, for nuclear reactors. Because of its favorable slowing-down properties and its small capture cross section for neutrons, deuterium moderation permits the use of uranium containing the natural abundance of uranium-235, thus avoiding an isotope enrichment step in the preparation of reactor fuel. Heavy water-moderated thermal neutron reactors fueled with uranium-233 and surrounded with a natural thorium blanket offer the prospect of successful fuel breeding, ie, production of greater amounts of (by neutron capture in thorium) than are consumed by nuclear fission in the operation of the reactor. The advantages of heavy water-moderated reactors are difficult to assess. 

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... 

A solution of 3j5-hydroxy-5a-androstan-7-one (10, 50 mg) in methanol-OD (4 ml) is saturated with deuterium oxide containing 5 % sodium deuterioxide (prepared by reacting sodium with deuterium oxide) and heated under reflux for 3 days. (If the heated solution becomes turbid due to supersaturation, a few drops of methanol-OD should be added until a clear solution is obtained. The use of a drying-tube on top of the condenser is advisable to avoid isotope dilution from moisture.)... 

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). ... 

The earliest attempts to prepare deuterated steroids were carried out by exchange reactions of aliphatic hydrogens with deuterium in the presence of a surface catalyst. Cholesterol, for example, has been treated with platinum in a mixture of deuterium oxide and acetic acid-OD, and was found to yield... 

There are ample precedents for reductions of double bonds in conjugated enones with lithium in deuterioammonia (see section V-C). Examples of the reduction of saturated ketones in deuterated media appear only as side reactions (over reductions) during the above mentioned conversions. For experimental details, therefore, one should consult the literature for the analogous reductions in protic medium (see also chapter 1). The use of deuterioammonia is essential for labeling purposes since by using liquid ammonia and methanol-OD the resulting alcohol contains no deuterium. For the preparation of deuterioammonia see section IX-D. 

The reduction of oxime derivatives (section IV-C) is useful for the preparation of steroidal amines labeled with a deuterium on the nitrogen-bearing carbon atom... 

The preparation of 7,7-d2-cholesterol in 1950 was the first example of deuterium incorporation into steroids via desulfurization of mercaptals with deuterated Raney nickel. A substantially modified version of this reaction subsequently became the first widely used method for site-specific insertion of two deuteriums in place of a carbonyl oxygen. This conversion consists of the preparation of a mercapto derivative (84 85), which usually... 

Two serious drawbacks of this method are the extensive deuterium scrambling around the reaction site and the occasional formation of olefinic side products, which are hard to separate by conventional means. The extent of olefin formation may depend on the nature of the Raney nickel since it is known that desulfurization with deactivated Raney nickel can yield olefins. Best results are obtained when the deuterated Raney nickel is prepared very rapidly and used immediately after preparation. 

During the course of these mechanistic studies a wide range of possible applications of this reaction have been revealed. When the reduction is carried out with lithium aluminum deuteride and the anion complex decomposed with water, a monodeuterio compound (95) is obtained in which 70% of the deuterium is in the 3a-position. Reduction with lithium aluminum hydride followed by hydrolysis with deuterium oxide yields mainly (70 %) the 3j5-di-epimer (96), while for the preparation of dideuterio compounds (94) both steps have to be carried out with deuterated reagents. ... 

Deuteriums in the enolizable positions of a,/3-unsaturated keto substrates are unaffected during the course of the reduction. This extends the applicability of this procedure to the preparation of y-labeled ketones by subjecting the substrates to hydrogen-deuterium exchange (section ll-C) prior to reduction. This technique has been utilized for the preparation of the y-labeled ketones (156), (157) and (158). " The deuteriums in the a-positions of these ketones are back exchanged (section 11-B) after the reduction. 

Deuterioboration is one of the most important recent additions to the array of methods for saturating double bonds with deuterium. The easy accessibility of metal deuterides (lithium aluminum deuteride or sodium borodeuteride) facilitates the in situ preparation of deuteriodiborane which reacts with steroidal double bonds with a high degree of site and/or stereospecificity, depending on the location of the double bond. " ... 

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." ... 

Zinc dust (35 mg) is added to a solution of 9a-bromo-5a-androstan-ll-one (225, 13 mg) in anhydrous ether (2 ml) and acetic acid-OD (0.5 ml, prepared by heating an equimolar mixture of acetic anhydride and deuterium oxide) and the resulting suspension is stirred at room temperature for 4 hr. (The progress of the reaction can be checked by thin layer chromatography.) The... 

An example is the preparation of 18-trideuterio 5a-steroids bearing a side chain at C-17. Labeling of this position with three deuteriums was accomplished by utilizing the Johnson procedure for steroid total synthesis. This synthesis involves, in part, introduction of the 18-angular methyl group by methylation of the D-homo-17a-keto-17-furfurylidene intermediate (243). By substituting d3-methyl iodide in this step, the C/D cis- and ra/J5-18,18,18-d3 labeled ketones [(244) and (245)] are obtained. Conversion of the C/D tra 5-methylation product (245) into 18,18,18-d3-d /-3)8-hydroxy-5a-androstan-17-one (246) provides an intermediate which can be converted into a wide variety of C-18 labeled compounds of high (98%) isotopic... 

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. ... 

Ethanol-OD can also be prepared by hydrolyzing diethyl carbonate in the presence of deuterium oxide and diethyl sulfate in a similar way as described in section IX-A-2. 

Clean sodium (0.19 g), free of paraffin or petroleum residues, is dissolved in deuterium oxide (1.2 ml) and Raney nickel alloy (0.25 g) is added in small portions over 8 min while maintaining the temperature at about 50°. When the addition is complete, the supernatant is poured off and the catalyst is washed by decantation with deuterium oxide (3x2 ml) followed by methanol-OD (2x1 ml). The catalyst should be prepared fresh as needed and the preparation carried out as rapidly as possible. 

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