Synthesis of [3‐13C]‐, [4‐13C]‐ and [11‐13C]‐porphobilinogen

[4‐¹³C]‐porphobilinogen 1a, [3‐¹³C]‐porphobilinogen 1b and [11‐¹³C]‐porphobilinogen 1c are prepared from [1‐¹³C]‐3‐(tetrahydropyran‐2′‐yloxy)‐propionaldehyde 2a, methyl [4‐¹³C]‐4‐nitrobutyrate 3b and [1‐¹³C]‐isocyanoacetonitrile 5c, respectively. The building blocks 2, 3 and 5 can be prepared efficiently in any isotopomeric form. Via base‐catalyzed condensation of these building blocks porphobilinogen can be enriched with ¹³C and ¹⁵N stable isotopes at any position and combination of positions. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.