Aldehydes and ketones exchange their hydrogens for deuteriums when treated with DO- /D2O or with D+ /D2O. In basic media the reaction proceeds through enolates and in acidic media the intermediates formed are enols.

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The mechanism of hydrogen-deuterium exchange occurs in the following steps:

Stage 1. Formation of the enolate
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Stage 2. Transfer from deuterium to enolate
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Stage 3. Substitution of the rest of hydrogens

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