Cost and Energy Saving Process for the Laboratory-Scale Production of Chloroform-d

Deuterochloroform (CDCl3), a commonly deuterated solvent in research and undergraduate laboratories and widely employed for nuclear magnetic resonance analyses, could be prepared using a more sustainable and efficient catalytic process. The synthesis includes a one-pot reaction of hexachloroacetone with deuterium oxide (D2O) in the presence of poly(N-vinylimidazole). The catalyst is more sustainable, highly recyclable, highly chemical and thermally stable, soluble in D2O, and high in efficiency.