Abstract
Heavier than hydrogen by a single neutron, deuterium might not seem to have much chemical heft. But the small matter of that subatomic particle makes a massive difference in the reactivity of hydrogen versus its isotope deuterium. In particular, deuterium can be far more difficult to pluck from a carbon atom than hydrogen. That property has long intrigued drugmakers: Metabolic enzymes often begin to break down drugs by stripping them of their hydrogen atoms. If pharma firms could strategically slow that denuding by replacing hydrogen with deuterium, they might be able to increase the lifetime of an active drug. The longer lifetime could translate to a lower dose. This is especially appealing because the hydrogen-deuterium switcheroo doesn’t change any of the drug’s other biological properties, such as its shape, size, or ability to bind its target. Harold Urey, who won the 1934 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for discovering deuterium, had
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