Multifunctional Deuterated and Tritiated “Click” Molecular Probes via Pd-mediated Reductive De-iodination of 5-Iodo-1,2,3-Triazoles

Tritiated compounds are invaluable tools for in vitro and in vivo studies on bioactive molecules. Here we describe a ‘click-chemistry’-based strategy for deuteration and tritiation of multifunctional compounds and multimodal molecular imaging probes. The method relies on a palladium-mediated reductive deiodination of 5-iodo-1,2,3-triazoles in the presence of NaBD4, deuterium or tritium gas.