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

Electrochemical transfer of 18F− from enriched [18O]-water to pure acetonitrile was investigated to develop a simple and effective synthesis of 18F-radiopharmaceuticals. The transfer of 18F 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 18F to aprotic polar solvents without any additives, such as phase transfer catalysis, will make the synthesis of diverse 18F-radiopharamceuticals simple and easy.