Selective Dearomatic Deuteration of (Het)arenes via Electrophoto-catalysis

Nevertheless, due to the inherent chemical stability of (het)aromatics, successful examples remain scarce and typically rely on transition metals, dangerous and expensive deuterium sources, and harsh reaction conditions. Herein, a mild and green electrophotocatlytic platform for dearomative deuteration of inert (het)arenes is reported for the first time.

Taking economical D2O as deuterium source and N,N-bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)perylene-3,4,9,10-bis(dicarboximide) as electrophotocatalyst, the Birch-type deuteration of (het)aromatics is realized through direct single electron transfer with excellent site-selectivity, high D-incorporation and good functional group compatibility. Remarkably, no overreduction reaction occurs. Late-stage deuteration of complex pharmaceuticals and gram-scale scale-up are easily implemented.