Synthesis of high-molar-activity [18F]6-fluoro-L-DOPA suitable for human use via Cu-mediated fluorination of a BPin precursor.

[18F]6-fluoro-L-DOPA ([18F]FDOPA) is a diagnostic radiopharmaceutical for positron emission tomography (PET) imaging that is used to image Parkinson's disease, brain tumors, and focal hyperinsulinism of infancy. Despite these important applications, [18F]FDOPA PET remains underutilized because of synthetic challenges associated with accessing the radiotracer for clinical use; these stem from the need to radiofluorinate a highly electron-rich catechol ring in the presence of an amino acid. To address this longstanding challenge in the PET radiochemistry community, we have developed a one-pot, two-step synthesis of high-molar-activity [18F]FDOPA by Cu-mediated fluorination of a pinacol boronate (BPin) precursor. The method is fully automated, has been validated to work well at two separate sites (an academic facility with a cyclotron on site and an industry lab purchasing [18F]fluoride from an outside vendor), and provides [18F]FDOPA in reasonable radiochemical yield (2.44 ± 0.70 GBq, 66 ± 19 mCi, 5 ± 1%), excellent radiochemical purity (>98%) and high molar activity (76 ± 30 TBq/mmol, 2,050 ± 804 Ci/mmol), n = 26. Herein we report a detailed protocol for the synthesis of [18F]FDOPA that has been successfully implemented at two sites and validated for production of the radiotracer for human use.

Catalytic Sulfamoylation of Alcohols with Activated Aryl Sulfamates.

We report a new catalytic method for alcohol sulfamoylation that deploys electron-deficient aryl sulfamates as activated group transfer reagents. The reaction utilizes the simple organic base N-methylimidazole, proceeds under mild conditions, and provides intrinsic selectivity for 1° over 2° alcohols (up to >40:1 for certain nucleosides). The requisite aryl sulfamate donors are stable crystalline solids that can be readily prepared on a large scale. Mechanistic considerations support the intermediacy of HNSO2 "aza-sulfene" in the transfer reaction.

One-pot synthesis of high molar activity 6-[18F]fluoro-l-DOPA by Cu-mediated fluorination of a BPin precursor.

A one-pot two-step synthesis of 6-[18F]fluoro-l-DOPA ([18F]FDOPA) has been developed involving Cu-mediated radiofluorination of a pinacol boronate ester precursor. The method is fully automated, provides [18F]FDOPA in good activity yield (104 ± 16 mCi, 6 ± 1%), excellent radiochemical purity (>99%) and high molar activity (3799 ± 2087 Ci mmol-1), n = 3, and has been validated to produce the radiotracer for human use.

C-H 18F-fluorination of 8-methylquinolines with Ag[18F]F.

This report describes a Pd-mediated C-H radiofluorination of 8-methylquinoline derivatives with no-carrier-added Ag[18F]F. To achieve this transformation, a new method was developed for the generation of Ag[18F]F using a sep-pak cartridge. The C-H radiofluorination was then optimized and applied to a series of substituted 8-methylquinoline derivatives. Finally, this method was fully automated using a radiochemistry synthesis module.

Reducing Limitation in Probe Design: The Development of a Diazirine-Compatible Suzuki-Miyaura Cross Coupling Reaction.

Access to high quality photoaffinity probe molecules is often constrained by synthetic limitations related to diazirine installation. A survey of recently published photoaffinity probe syntheses identified the Suzuki-Miyaura (S-M) coupling reaction, ubiquitous in drug discovery, as being underutilized to incorporate diazirines. To test whether advances in modern cross-coupling catalysis might enable efficient S-M couplings tolerant of the diazirine moiety, a fragment-based screening approach was employed. A model S-M coupling reaction was screened under various conditions in the presence of an aromatic diazirine fragment. This screen identified reaction conditions that gave good yields of S-M coupling product while minimally perturbing the diazirine reporter fragment. These conditions were found to be highly scalable and exhibited broad scope when applied to a chemistry informer library of 24 pharmaceutically relevant aryl boron pinacol esters. Furthermore, these conditions were used to synthesize a known diazirine-containing probe molecule with improved synthetic efficiency.

Synthesis of [18F]-γ-fluoro-α,ß,-unsaturated esters and ketones via vinylogous 18F-fluorination of α-diazoacetates with [18F]AgF.

This communication reports a method for the vinylogous radiofluorination of α-diazoacetates to generate γ-[18F]fluoro-α,ß-unsaturated esters and ketones in moderate to good radiochemical yields. The method uses no-carrier-added [18F]AgF and is compatible with aromatic and non-aromatic substrates and a number of different functional groups. The labeling method is showcased in the synthesis of a fluorinated 5-cholesten-3-one derivative as well as a difluorinated product pertinent to drug discovery.

Protecting group free radical C-H trifluoromethylation of peptides.

Two radical-based approaches have been developed to effect the trifluoromethylation of aryl C-H bonds in native peptides either using stoichiometric oxidant or visible light photoredox catalysis. The reported methods are able to derivatize tyrosine and tryptophan sidechains under biocompatible conditions, and a number of examples are reported involving fully unprotected peptides with up to 51 amino acids. The development of this chemistry adds to the growing array of chemical methods for selectively modifying amino acid residues in the context of complex peptides. The direct incorporation of trifluoromethyl groups into biopolymers enables the study of a range of biological and biochemical systems, and preliminary results indicate this method can be extended to the incorporation of other fluoroalkyl groups for bioconjugation applications.

Palladium- and Nickel-Catalyzed Decarbonylative C-S Coupling to Convert Thioesters to Thioethers.

This Letter describes the development of a catalytic decarbonylative C-S coupling reaction that transforms thioesters into thioethers. Both Pd- and Ni-based catalysts are developed and applied to the construction of diaryl, aryl alkyl, and heterocycle-containing thioethers.

Automated synthesis of PET radiotracers by copper-mediated 18 F-fluorination of organoborons: Importance of the order of addition and competing protodeborylation.

In this paper, we describe the use of Cu-mediated [18 F]fluorodeboronation for the automated production of positron emission tomography radiotracers suitable for clinical use. Two recurrent issues with the method, low radiochemical conversion on automation and protoarene byproduct purification issues, have been successfully addressed. The new method was utilized to produce sterile injectable doses of [18 F]-(±)-IPMICF17, a positron emission tomography radiotracer for tropomyosin receptor kinase B/C, using an automated synthesis module. The product was isolated in 1.9 ± 0.1% isolated radiochemical yield, excellent radiochemical purity (>99%), and high specific activity (5294 ± 1227 Ci/mmol). Quality control testing confirmed that doses were suitable for clinical use.

Pd-Catalyzed Decarbonylative Cross-Couplings of Aroyl Chlorides.

This report describes a method for Pd-catalyzed decarbonylative cross-coupling that enables the conversion of carboxylic acid derivatives to biaryls, aryl amines, aryl ethers, aryl sulfides, aryl boronate esters, and trifluoromethylated arenes. The success of this transformation leverages the Pd0/Brettphos-catalyzed decarbonylative chlorination of aroyl chlorides, which can then participate in diverse cross-coupling reactions in situ using the same Pd catalyst.

Development of Customized [18F]Fluoride Elution Techniques for the Enhancement of Copper-Mediated Late-Stage Radiofluorination.

In a relatively short period of time, transition metal-mediated radiofluorination reactions have changed the PET radiochemistry landscape. These reactions have enabled the radiofluorination of a wide range of substrates, facilitating access to radiopharmaceuticals that were challenging to synthesize using traditional fluorine-18 radiochemistry. However, the process of adapting these new reactions for automated radiopharmaceutical production has revealed limitations in fitting them into the confines of traditional radiochemistry systems. In particular, the presence of bases (e.g. K2CO3) and/or phase transfer catalysts (PTC) (e.g. kryptofix 2.2.2) associated with fluorine-18 preparation has been found to be detrimental to reaction yields. We hypothesized that these limitations could be addressed through the development of alternate techniques for preparing [18F]fluoride. This approach also opens the possibility that an eluent can be individually tailored to meet the specific needs of a metal-catalyzed reaction of interest. In this communication, we demonstrate that various solutions of copper salts, bases, and ancillary ligands can be utilized to elute [18F]fluoride from ion exchange cartridges. The new procedures are effective for fluorine-18 radiochemistry and, as proof of concept, have been used to optimize an otherwise base-sensitive copper-mediated radiofluorination reaction.

Synthesis of [18F]Arenes via the Copper-Mediated [18F]Fluorination of Boronic Acids.

A copper-mediated radiofluorination of aryl- and vinylboronic acids with K(18)F is described. This method exhibits high functional group tolerance and is effective for the radiofluorination of a range of electron-deficient, -neutral, and -rich aryl-, heteroaryl-, and vinylboronic acids. This method has been applied to the synthesis of [(18)F]FPEB, a PET radiotracer for quantifying metabotropic glutamate 5 receptors.

Late-stage [18F]Fluorination: New Solutions to Old Problems.

The last 2-3 years have seen numerous relationships develop between organometallic chemists, fluorine chemists and PET Centers around the world. These collaborations have led to the development of many new strategies for the late-stage introduction of fluorine-18 into complex bioactive molecules. In this perspective we highlight recent developments and key milestones since 2011.

Mechanistic Investigations of Cu-Catalyzed Fluorination of Diaryliodonium Salts: Elaborating the CuI/CuIII Manifold in Copper Catalysis.

A combination of experimental and density functional theory (DFT) investigations suggests that the Cu-catalyzed fluorination of unsymmetrical diaryliodonium salts with general structure [Mes(Ar)I]+ in N,N'-dimethylformamide proceeds through a CuI/CuIII catalytic cycle. A low concentration of fluoride relative to combined iodonium reagent plus copper ensures that [Mes(Ar)I]+ is available as the reactive species for oxidative "Ar+" transfer to a CuI center containing one or two fluoride ligands. A series of different possible CuI active catalysts (containing fluoride, triflate, and DMF ligands) have been evaluated computationally, and all show low-energy pathways to fluorinated products. The oxidation of these CuI species by [Mes(Ar)I]+ to form cis-Ar(F)CuIII intermediates is proposed to be rate-limiting in all cases. Ar-F bond-forming reductive elimination from CuIII is computed to be very facile in all of the systems examined. The conclusions of the DFT experiments are supported by several experimental studies, including tests showing that CuI is formed rapidly under the reaction conditions and that the fluoride concentration strongly impacts the reaction yields/selectivities.

Copper-catalyzed [18F]fluorination of (mesityl)(aryl)iodonium salts.

A practical, rapid, and highly regioselective Cu-catalyzed radiofluorination of (mesityl)(aryl)iodonium salts is described. This protocol utilizes [(18)F]KF to access (18)F-labeled electron-rich, -neutral, and -deficient aryl fluorides under a single set of mild conditions. This methodology is applied to the synthesis of protected versions of two important radiotracers: 4-[(18)F]fluorophenylalanine and 6-[(18)F]fluoroDOPA.

Cu-catalyzed fluorination of diaryliodonium salts with KF.

A mild Cu-catalyzed nucleophilic fluorination of unsymmetrical diaryliodonium salts with KF is described. This protocol preferentially fluorinates the smaller aromatic ligand on iodine(III). The reaction exhibits a broad substrate scope and proceeds with high chemoselectivity and functional group tolerance. DFT calculations implicate a Cu(I)/Cu(III) catalytic cycle.