Straightforward and Efficient Deuteration of Terminal Alkynes with Copper Catalysis

The mild and effective preparation of deuterated organic molecules is an active area of research due to their important applications. Herein, we report an air-stable and easy to access copper(I) complex as catalyst for the deuteration of mono-substituted alkynes. Reactions were carried out in technical solvents and in the presence of air, to obtain excellent deuterium incorporation in a range of functionalised alkynes.

Automated summary

In this work, an air-stable and easily accessible copper(I) complex was developed as a catalyst for the deuteration of mono-substituted alkynes. The reactions were conducted in common solvents and in the presence of air, resulting in excellent incorporation of deuterium into various functionalized alkynes.