No-carrier-added nucleophilic 18F-labelling in an electrochemical cell exemplified by the routine production of [18F]altanserin.

A new type of electrochemical cell with anodic deposition of no-carrier-added [(18)F]fluoride and variable reaction volume has been developed. The reactor is designed for small reaction volumes and non-thermal drying of [(18)F]fluoride. The implementation of this reactor into a complete remotely controlled synthesis device is described for the routine production of [(18)F]altanserin. A radiochemical yield of 23+/-5% was obtained via cryptate-mediated nucleophilic (18)F-fluorination. Batches of up to 6 GBq [(18)F]altanserin, suitable for human application, with a molar activity of >500 GBq/micromol were obtained within 75 min.

A complete remote-control system for reliable preparation of [18F]altanserin.

A complete remote control system was constructed for production of the PET 5-HT2A ligand [18F]altanserin by nitro-for-fluoro exchange. Comparing with published methods, the key features include (1) conducting azeotropic distillation and nucleophilic displacement in an open vessel heated by a commercial microwave oven; (2) purifying the product by a single HPLC procedure and (3) removing HPLC solvent by solid phase extraction. The preparation took 114 min with 23% yield and high quality.