Automated synthesis of 4-[18F]fluoroanisole, [18F]DAA1106 and 4-[18F]FPhe using Cu-mediated radiofluorination under “minimalist” conditions

The application of the “minimalist” approach to Cu-mediated radiofluorination allows the efficient preparation of 18F-labeled arenes regardless of their electronic properties. The implementation of this methodology on a commercially available synthesis module (hotboxthree, Scintomics, Germany) enabled the automated production of 4-[18F]fluoroanisole as well as the clinically relevant PET-tracers, 4-[18F]FPhe and [18F]DAA1106, in radiochemical yields of 41-61% and radiochemical purities of >95% within 30-60 min. These results demonstrated the high efficacy and versatility of the developed method that will open up opportunities for a broad application of Cu-mediated radiofluorination in PET-chemistry.