Recent Advances in 18F Radiochemistry: A Focus on B-18F, Si-18F, Al-18F, and C-18F Radiofluorination via Spirocyclic Iodonium Ylides

Abstract

Straightforward radiosynthesis protocols for ¹⁸F-labeled radiopharmaceuticals are an indispensable but often overlooked prerequisite to successfully perform molecular imaging studies in vivo by PET. In recent years, thanks to the expansion of the ¹⁸F chemical toolbox, structurally diverse and novel clinically relevant radiopharmaceuticals have been synthesized with both high efficiency and ready implementation. This article provides an overview of recent ¹⁸F-labeling methodologies, specifically for B-¹⁸F, Si-¹⁸F, Al-¹⁸F, and iodine (III)-mediated radiofluorination via the spirocyclic iodonium ylide technology.

Keywords: fluorine-18; radiochemistry; radiofluorination; spirocyclic iodonium.