Direct Carbon Isotope Exchange of Pharmaceuticals via Reversible Decyanation
Minghao Feng, Joao De Oliveira, Antoine Sallustrau, Gianluca Destro, P. Thuéry, Sébastien Roy, Thibault Cantat, Charles S. Elmore, Jörg Blankenstein, Frédéric Taran, Davide Audisio
Abstract
The incorporation of carbon-14 allows tracking of organic molecules and provides vital knowledge on their fate. This information is critical in pharmaceutical development, crop science, and human food safety evaluation. Herein, a transition-metal-catalyzed procedure enabling carbon isotope exchange on aromatic nitriles is described. By utilizing the radiolabeled precursor Zn([14C]CN)2, this protocol allows the insertion of the desired carbon tag without the need for structural modifications, in a single step. By reducing synthetic costs and limiting the generation of radioactive waste, this procedure will facilitate the labeling of nitrile containing drugs and accelerate 14C-based ADME studies supporting drug development.