Photo- and electro-catalytic deuteration of feedstock chemicals and pharmaceuticals: A review

Deuterium labeling techniques are widely utilized as efficient tools to study the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) of pharmaceuticals. Moreover, deuterium-labeled drugs are expected to prolong the half-life of drug metabolism, enhance the efficacy of drugs, close metabolic sites, and decrease side effects. Thus, there is a rising demand for the practical construction of deuterium-labeled drugs and their intermediates under mild conditions. This paper timely provides an overview of the recent advances in both photo- and electro-catalytic mild and selective deuteration of fine chemicals and pharmaceuticals with low-cost and sustainable deuterium source. Three types of deuteration strategies are discussed according to the deuteration mode, named deuterium atom transfer strategy, deuterium atom abstraction strategy and deuterated water splitting strategy respectively. The application scope and mechanistic insights are discussed comprehensively. Finally, the perspective on the challenges and future development trends for photo- and electro-catalytic deuteration strategies are also presented.