Deuterium is a stable isotope of hydrogen. This isotope has slightly different properties from its most abundant natural isotope (protium), and is valuable in many scientific disciplines, including nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and quantitative mass spectrometry. It is used to study a variety of topics, from environmental studies to disease diagnosis.

The market for stable isotope-labeled chemicals has seen a dramatic price increase of more than 200% over the past year. This trend is particularly pronounced in the prices of basic stable isotope-labeled chemicals such as 13CO2 and D2O, which start to rise in the first half of 2022. In addition, there has been a significant increase in stable isotope-labeled biomolecules such as glucose or amino acids that are important components of cell culture media.

Increased demand and reduced supply lead to higher prices

What exactly has had such a significant impact on deuterium supply and demand over the past year? New applications of deuterium-labeled chemicals are creating growing demand for deuterium.

Deuteration of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs)

Deuterium (D, deuterium) atoms have an inhibitory effect on the drug metabolism rate of the human body. It has been shown to be a safe ingredient in therapeutic medicines. In view of the similar chemical properties of deuterium and protium, deuterium can be used as a substitute for protium in some medicines.

The therapeutic effect of the drug will not be significantly affected by the addition of deuterium. Metabolism studies have shown that deuterium-containing drugs generally retain full potency and potency. However, deuterium-containing drugs are metabolized more slowly, often resulting in longer-lasting effects, smaller or fewer doses, and fewer side effects.

How does deuterium have a decelerating effect on drug metabolism? Deuterium is capable of forming stronger chemical bonds within drug molecules compared to protium. Given that the metabolism of drugs often involves the breaking of such bonds, stronger bonds mean slower drug metabolism.

Deuterium oxide is used as a starting material for the generation of various deuterium-labeled compounds, including deuterated active pharmaceutical ingredients.

Deuterated Fiber Optic Cable

In the final stage of fiber optic manufacturing, fiber optic cables are treated with deuterium gas. Certain types of optical fiber are susceptible to degradation of their optical performance, a phenomenon caused by chemical reactions with atoms located in or around the cable.

To alleviate this problem, deuterium is used to replace some of the protium present in the fiber optic cables. This substitution reduces the reaction rate and prevents degradation of light transmission, ultimately extending the life of the cable.

Deuteration of silicon semiconductors and microchips

The process of deuterium-protium exchange with deuterium gas (deuterium 2 ; D 2 ) is used in the production of silicon semiconductors and microchips, which are often used in circuit boards. Deuterium annealing is used to replace protium atoms with deuterium to prevent chemical corrosion of chip circuits and harmful effects of hot carrier effects.

By implementing this process, the life cycle of semiconductors and microchips can be significantly extended and improved, allowing the manufacture of smaller and higher density chips.

Deuteration of Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDs)

OLED, an acronym for Organic Light Emitting Diode, is a thin-film device composed of organic semiconductor materials. OLEDs have lower current densities and brightness compared to traditional light emitting diodes (LEDs). While OLEDs are less expensive to produce than conventional LEDs, their brightness and lifetime are not as high.

To achieve game-changing improvements in OLED technology, the substitution of protium by deuterium has been found to be a promising approach. This is because deuterium strengthens the chemical bonds in the organic semiconductor materials used in OLEDs, which brings several advantages: Chemical degradation occurs at a slower rate, extending the life of the device.