[(18)F]Tosyl fluoride as a versatile [(18)F]fluoride source for the preparation of (18)F-labeled radiopharmaceuticals

Positron emission tomography (PET) is an in vivo imaging technology that utilizes positron-emitting radioisotope-labeled compounds as PET radiotracers that are commonly used in clinic and in various research areas, including oncology, cardiology, and neurology. Fluorine-18 is the most widely used PET-radionuclide and commonly produced by proton bombardment of (18)O-enriched water in a cyclotron. The [(18)F]fluoride thus obtained generally requires processing by azeotropic drying in order to completely remove H(2)O before it can be used for nucleophilic radiofluorination. In general, the drying step is important in facilitating the radiofluorination reactions and the preparation of (18)F-labeled PET radiotracers. In this communication, we have demonstrated the feasibility of using [(18)F]tosyl fluoride ([(18)F]TsF) as a versatile [(18)F]fluoride source for radiofluorination to bypass the azeotropic drying step, and we have developed a continuous flow solid-phase radiosynthesis strategy to generate [(18)F]TsF in a form that is excellent for radiofluorination. [(18)F]TsF shows high reactivity in radiofluorination and provides the features suitable for preparing PET radiotracers on a small scale and exploring novel radiolabeling technologies. Thus, using [(18)F]TsF as a [(18)F]fluoride source is a promising strategy that facilitates radiofluorination and provides a convenient and efficient solution for the preparation of (18)F-labeled radiopharmaceuticals that is well matched to the emerging trends in PET imaging technologies.