Electrochemical transfer of (18)F from (18)O water to aprotic polar solvent.

Electrochemical transfer of (18)F(-) from enriched [(18)O]-water to pure acetonitrile was investigated to develop a simple and effective synthesis of (18)F-radiopharmaceuticals. The transfer of (18)F is composed of two steps: first step is electro-deposition on a graphite anode and the next step is electro-emission into pure acetonitrile by inversing the polarity of the electric tension. A sufficiently high fraction of the electro-emission, 73%, was achieved. The electrochemical transfer of (18)F to aprotic polar solvents without any additives, such as phase transfer catalysis, will make the synthesis of diverse (18)F-radiopharamceuticals simple and easy.