Synthesis of deuterium‐labelled 6‐[5‐(4‐amidinophenyl)furan‐2‐yl]nicotinamidine and N‐alkoxy‐6‐{5‐[4‐(N‐alkoxyamidino)phenyl]‐ furan‐2‐yl}‐nicotinamidines

6‐5‐(4‐Amidinophenyl)furan‐2‐yl]nicotinamidine‐d₄ ( 5 ) was synthesized from 6‐5‐(4‐cyanophenyl)furan‐2‐yl]nicotinonitrile‐d₄ ( 3 ), through the bis‐O‐acetoxy‐amidoxime followed by hydrogenation. Compound 3 was prepared from 6‐(furan‐2‐yl)‐nicotinonitrile by a Heck coupling reaction with 4‐bromobenzonitrile‐d₄, a product of selective cyanation reaction of 1,4‐dibromobenzene‐d₄ with Cu(1)CN. Deuterium‐labelled N‐methoxy‐6‐{5‐4‐(N‐methoxy‐amidinophenyl]‐furan‐2‐yl}‐nicotinamidines were prepared via methylation of their respective amidoximes with dimethyl sulfate‐d₆ in aqueous sodium hydroxide in good yields. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.