Preparation of N-[11C]methyl-2,5-dimethoxy-4-methylamphetamine

In order to evaluate the neurobiological mechanism causing the psychogenic effects of N-methyl-2,5-dimethoxy-4-methylamphetamine (MDOM), the¹¹C labelled analogue was prepared for application in in vivo PET studies by the reaction of 2,5-dimethoxy-4-methylamphetamine (DOM) with [¹¹C]CH₃I. The radiochemical yield was determined in dependence on time, temperature, solvent and amount of substrate. The best conditions for fast labelling reactions with¹¹C on a preparative scale were found to be a reaction time of 10 miutes at 110°C using 1 mg DOM in acetonitrile thus obtaining radiochemical yields of 80% (based on produced [¹¹C]CH₃I).     

Preparation of N-[11C]methyl-2,5-dimethoxy-4-bromo-amphetamine

For in vivo receptor studies N-[¹¹C]methyl-2,5-dimethoxy-4-bromo-amphetamine, [¹¹C]MDOB, was synthesized by the reaction of [¹¹C]CH₃I with DOB in acetonitrile. The labelling yield was determined in dependence on amount of precursor, time and temperature of the methylation reaction. During 10 to 15 minutes 60% to 70% of [¹¹C]MDOB has been obtained at 110°C.     

N-[11C]methyl-1-(1,3-benzodioxol-5-yl)-2-butanamine (MBDB): synthesis, quality control and biodistribution

N-[¹¹C]methyl-1-(1,3-benzodioxol-5-yl)-2-butanamine ([¹¹C]MBDB) 3 was prepared by methylation of the demethyl precursor BDB with [¹¹C]CHI. The radiosynthesis was optimized with regard to temperature, reaction time and amount of precursor, best results (i.e., 84% radiochemical yield, based on [¹¹C]CH₃I activity) were obtained using 3 mg BDB at a reaction temperature of 130 °C in 8 minutes. With respect to a facilitated workup routine, productions were performed with 0.6 mg BDB at 110 °C for 10 minutes, yielding more than 50% of 3. The radiochemical purity of the final tracer solution was >98%, the specific activity was determined to be 300 GBq/mol (8000 Ci/mmol). Biodistribution, studies in rats showed two major metabolic pathways as indicated by an increasing liver uptake (9.1% ID/organ at 5 minutes to 21% ID/organ at 30 minutes) and a high urine activity (up to 16% ID/g). In brain tracer uptake was more than 1%, with a brain to blood ratio of almost 12 resulting from a very rapid blood clearance of 3.     

Rapid ‘on-column’ preparation of hydrogen [11C]cyanide from [11C]methyl iodide via [11C]formaldehyde

Hydrogen [¹¹C]cyanide ([¹¹C]HCN) is a versatile ¹¹C-labelling agent for the production of ¹¹C-labelled compounds used for positron emission tomography (PET). However, the traditional method for [¹¹C]HCN production requires a dedicated infrastructure, limiting accessibility to [¹¹C]HCN. Herein, we report a simple and efficient [¹¹C]HCN production method that can be easily implemented in ¹¹C production facilities. The immediate production of [¹¹C]HCN was achieved by passing gaseous [¹¹C]methyl iodide ([¹¹C]CH₃I) through a small two-layered reaction column. The first layer contained an N-oxide and a sulfoxide for conversion of [¹¹C]CH₃I to [¹¹C]formaldehyde ([¹¹C]CH₂O). The [¹¹C]CH₂O produced was subsequently converted to [¹¹C]HCN in a second layer containing hydroxylamine-O-sulfonic acid. The yield of [¹¹C]HCN produced by the current method was comparable to that of [¹¹C]HCN produced by the traditional method. The use of oxymatrine and diphenyl sulfoxide for [¹¹C]CH₂O production prevented deterioration of the molar activity of [¹¹C]HCN. Using this method, compounds labelled with [¹¹C]HCN are now made easily accessible for PET synthesis applications using readily available labware, without the need for the ‘traditional’ dedicated cyanide synthesis infrastructure.

In a reaction column, gaseous [¹¹C]methyl iodide was converted to [¹¹C]formaldehyde in a first layer containing N-oxide and then transformed into hydrogen [¹¹C]cyanide in a second layer containing hydroxylamine-O-sulfonic acid within 2 minutes.     

A simplified [11C]phosgene synthesis

A new flow-through system for the production of [¹¹C]phosgene, a versatile labelling agent in radiochemistry for PET, is described. Cyclotron-produced [¹¹C]CH₄ is mixed with Cl₂ and converted into [¹¹C]CCl₄ by passing the mixture through an empty quartz tube at 510 °C. The outflow is directed through a Sb-filled guard that takes out Cl₂ and then, without intentional O₂ addition, through a second empty quartz tube at 750 °C, giving rise to [¹¹C]phosgene in 30–35% radiochemical yield.     

Synthesis of 15-(4-[11C]methylphenyl)pentadecanoic acid (MePPA) via Stille cross-coupling reaction

For experimental studies by animal PET [¹¹C]-labeled 15-(4-methylphenyl)pentadecanoic acid (MePPA) is an attractive alternative to the radioiodinated 15-(4-iodophenyl)pentadecanoic acid (IPPA) which has widely been used for imaging of fatty acid metabolism. The important physiological aspect is that the iodine atom and the methyl substituent have similar steric and lipophilic properties. For preparation of [¹¹C]MePPA, Stille cross-coupling reaction was applied since the same tin precursor as for the radiosynthesis of IPPA and readily available [¹¹C]CH₃I can be used. Unsaturated tris(dibenzylideneacetone)dipalladium(0)/tri(o-tolyl)phosphine [Pd₂(dba)₃/P(o-tolyl)₃] was taken as the catalytic system. The reaction conditions were optimized with respect to temperature, time, solvent and amount of precursor. The best radiochemical yields of 73 ± 2.8% (decay corr.) were obtained using 0.525 mg tin precursor in DMF at 80 °C already after a reaction time of 10 min. The labeled methyl ester was hydrolyzed by 1 M NaOH/EtOH at 80 °C within 3 min to give [¹¹C]IPPA in a RCY of 62 ± 3.0%. The radiochemical purity of the product assured by HPLC was >99% and the overall preparation time including HPLC purification and formulation was 40 min.     

Broad Scope and High-Yield Access to Unsymmetrical Acyclic [11C]Ureas for Biomedical Imaging from [11C]Carbonyl Difluoride

Effective methods are needed for labelling acyclic ureas with carbon-11 (t_1/2=20.4 min) as potential radiotracers for biomedical imaging with positron emission tomography (PET). Herein, we describe the rapid and high-yield syntheses of unsymmetrical acyclic [¹¹C]ureas under mild conditions (room temperature and within 7 min) using no-carrier-added [¹¹C]carbonyl difluoride with aliphatic and aryl amines. This methodology is compatible with diverse functionality (e. g., hydroxy, carboxyl, amino, amido, or pyridyl) in the substrate amines. The labelling process proceeds through putative [¹¹C]carbamoyl fluorides and for primary amines through isolable [¹¹C]isocyanate intermediates. Unsymmetrical [¹¹C]ureas are produced with negligible amounts of unwanted symmetrical [¹¹C]urea byproducts. Moreover, the overall labelling method tolerates trace water and the generally moderate to excellent yields show good reproducibility. [¹¹C]Carbonyl difluoride shows exceptional promise for application to the synthesis of acyclic [¹¹C]ureas as new radiotracers for biomedical imaging with PET.     

Rapid synthesis of C-labeled FK506 for positron emission tomography

The present study describes a rapid synthesis method for labeled [¹¹C]FK506 for positron emission tomography (PET). A one-pot reaction from [¹¹C]CH₃I, involving a Wittig reaction as the key carboncarbon bond formation was developed. The chemical process was accomplished using a designed, fully automated synthetic apparatus, and an injectable solution of [¹¹C]FK506 was obtained in only 34 min from [¹¹C]CH₃I. The decay-corrected radiochemical yield based on [¹¹C]CH₃I was 11.9%, and the specific activity was 39.8 GBq/μmol.     

[11C]-labeling of some caffeine derivatives for mapping adenosine A2a receptors by PET technique

[¹¹C]-labeled form of ten A_2a adenosine receptor specific 8-styryl-7-methyl-xanthine derivatives ([¹¹C]-caffeines) were synthesised by N-methylation of the corresponding 8-styryl-xanthine derivatives using [¹¹C]-methyl iodide in optimized reaction conditions. The results show that the [¹¹C]-methylations take place with excellent radiochemical yields (35–93%), and can be utilised easily in online preparations. These labeled ligands may facilitate the positron emission tomographic (PET) investigation of adenosine A_2a receptors.     

Synthesis of [carbonyl-C]acetophenone via the Stille cross-coupling reaction of [1-C]acetyl chloride with tributylphenylstannane mediated by Pd2(dba)3/P(MeNCH2CH2)3N·HCl

The Stille cross-coupling reaction of [1-¹¹C]acetyl chloride with tributylphenylstannane leading to [carbonyl-¹¹C]acetophenone was studied with the goal of developing a new ¹¹C-labeling method for positron emission tomography tracer synthesis. The coupled product [carbonyl-¹¹C]acetophenone was synthesized using the Pd₂(dba)₃/P(MeNCH₂CH₂)₃N·HCl system with a 60-61% radiochemical conversion from [1-¹¹C]acetyl chloride (decay-corrected, n = 3).     

Highly efficient syntheses of [methyl-11C]thymidine and its analogue 4'-[methyl-11C]thiothymidine as nucleoside PET probes for cancer cell proliferation by Pd(0)-mediated rapid C-[11C]methylation

Pd(0)-mediated rapid couplings of CH(3)I (and then [(11)C]CH(3)I) with excess 5-tributylstannyl-2'-deoxyuridine and -4'-thio-2'-deoxyuridine were investigated for the syntheses of [methyl-(11)C]thymidine and its stable analogue, 4'-[methyl-(11)C]thiothymidine as PET probes for cancer diagnosis. The previously reported conditions were attempted using Pd(2)(dba)(3)/P(o-CH(3)C(6)H(4))(3) (1?:?4 in molar ratio) at 130 °C for 5 min in DMF, giving desired products only in 32 and 30% yields. Therefore, we adapted the current reaction conditions developed in our laboratory for heteroaromatic compounds. The reaction using CH(3)I/stannane/Pd(2)(dba)(3)/P(o-CH(3)C(6)H(4))(3)/CuCl/K(2)CO(3) (1?:?25?:?1?:?32?:?2?:?5) at 80 °C gave thymidine in 85% yield. Whereas, CH(3)I/stannane/Pd(2)(dba)(3)/P(o-CH(3)C(6)H(4))(3)/CuBr/CsF (1?:?25?:?1?:?32?:?2?:?5) including another CuBr/CsF system promoted the reaction at a milder temperature (60 °C), giving thymidine in 100% yield. Chemo-response of thiothymidine-precursor was different from thymidine system. Thus, the above optimized conditions including CuBr/CsF system gave 4'-thiothymidine only in 40% yield. The reaction using 5-fold amount of CuBr/CsF at 80 °C gave much higher yield (83%), but unexpectedly, the reaction was accompanied by a considerable amount of undesired destannylated product. Such destannylation was greatly suppressed by changing to a CuCl/K(2)CO(3) system using CH(3)I/stannane/Pd(2)(dba)(3)/P(o-CH(3)C(6)H(4))(3)/CuCl/K(2)CO(3) (1?:?25?:?1?:?32?:?2?:?5) at 80 °C, giving the 4'-thiothymidine in 98% yield. The each optimized conditions were successfully applied to the syntheses of the corresponding PET probes in 87 and 93% HPLC analytical yields. [(11)C]Compounds were isolated by preparative HPLC after the reaction conducted under slightly improved conditions, exhibiting sufficient radioactivity of 3.7-3.8 GBq and specific radioactivity of 89-200 GBq μmol(-1) with radiochemical purity of ≥99.5% for animal and human PET studies.     

Yield ratio of [11C]-CO2, [11C]-CO and [11C]-CH4 from the irradiation of N2/H2-mixtures in a gas target

The¹⁴N/p, /¹¹C-reaction was studied in different N₂/H₂-mixtures. The products are [¹¹C]-CO₂, [¹¹C]-CO and [¹¹C]-CH₄. The yield ratio may be controlled by varying the bombardment conditions. High pressure, high H₂-content, high beam current and high proton energy shift the ratio towards [¹¹C]-CH₄. Lower beam current and lower proton energy increase the yield of [¹¹C]-CO₂. The production of [¹¹C]-CO is constant over a wide range of conditions /about 10%/. For the production of [¹¹C]-CH₄ in good yield a target gas holder for high pressures has been developed. Details are given in Fig. 7. This target gas holder was filled with 5% H₂ in N₂ at 3×10⁶ Pa. Proton irradiation of the mixture gives a typical yield of [¹¹C]-CH₄ of 400–500 mCi at a beam current of 15–20 A within 20 min. Only traces of other¹¹C-labelled compounds could be detected under these conditions.     

A new technique for labeling of [11C]-choline, a positron-emitting tracer for tumor imaging

Summary [¹¹C]-choline has been reported as a potential tracer for imaging a variety of human tumors with positron emission tomography (PET). A new labeling technique for [¹¹C]-choline was established depending on parameters optimized, such as reaction time, volume, temperature, and the quantity of DMAE.The synthesis yield was improved from 82.0% to 96.5% (EOB), while the consumption of DMAE precursor decreased from 60 to 2 mg. Absolute yield of [¹¹C]-choline was 2500 MBq for a 10-minute irradiation at15mA, and a total synthesis time of less than 8 minutes from [¹¹C]-CH₃I to [¹¹C]-choline.     

Carbon-14 kinetic isotope effect in the decarbonylation of lactic acid[1-14C]

The carbon-14 kinetic isotope effect for the decarbonylation of lactic acid[1-¹⁴C] in sulfuric acid has been measured in the temperature interval of 20–90°C. The experimental values of (k_12C/k_14C) are compared with the theoretical¹⁴C kinetic isotope effect calculated assuming that one carbon-oxygen stretching vibration is lost in the rate-determining step. The discrepancy between experimentally observed temperature dependence of the¹⁴C kinetic isotope effect and the theoretical one is explained by the possible side reactions which change the apparent degrees of decarbonylation and isotopic composition of CH₃CHOHCOOH[1-¹⁴C] used in experiments aiming at the determination of carbon-14 kinetic isotope effect in the decarbonylation process itself.     

The synthesis of 11H-1,2,4-triazolo[4,3-b]pyridazino[4,5-b]indoles,11H-tetrazolo[4,5-b]pyridazino[4,5-b]indoles and 1,2,4-triazolo[3,4-f]-1,2,4-triazino[4,5-a]indoles

This paper describes the synthesis of the previously unknown 11H-1,2,4-triazolo[4,3-b]pyridazino[4,5-b]indoles (2) and 11H-tetrazolo[4,5-b]pyridazino[4,5-b]indoles (3) from 4-hydrazino-5H-pyridazino[4,5-b]indoles (1) , as well as the synthesis of 1,2,4-triazolo[3,4-f]-1,2,4-triazino-[4,5-a]indoles (10) from 2-indolecarbohydrazide (4) . Compounds 2 were obtained by acylation of compounds 1 , followed of thermal cyclization and compounds 3 by treating compounds 1 with nitrous acid. The reactions of compound 4 with formic acid or ethyl orthoformiate gave 1,2-dihydro-1-oxo-1,2,4-triazino[4,5-a]indole (6) . Treating this last compound with phosphorus oxychloride or phosphorus pentasulfide, followed by hydrazine, gave 1-hydrazino-1,2,4-triazino-[4,5-a]indole (9) . Acylation of this last compound, followed of cyclization gave compounds 10 . All the compounds were characterized by elemental analysis and ir and ¹H-nmr spectra.     

Mixed Chloro Bis[Alkylenedithiophosphato] Antimony(III) and Their Heterobinuclear Derivatives with Boron Tetraisopropoxide: Synthesis and Characterization

Chloro bis(alkylenedithiophosphato)antimony(III) complexes of the type [OGOP(S)S]₂SbCl (1–5) [where G = —C(Me)₂—CH₂—CH(Me)—1 —C(Me)₂—C(Me)₂—2, —CH₂—C(Me)₂—CH₂—3, —CH(Me)—CH(Me)—4 and –CH(Me)—CH₂—CH₂—5] have been synthesized by the reaction of SbCl₃ with sodium salts of alkylenedithiophosphoric acids in a 1:2 molar ratio in refluxing benzene. Reactions of chloro bis(alkylenedithiophosphato) antimony(III) compounds, [OGOP(S)S]₂SbCl with sodium tetraisopropoxoborate, NaB(OPrⁱ)₄, in a 1:1 molar ratio in refluxing benzene yielded some new heterobinuclear derivatives of antimony(III) and boron(III) of the type[OGOP(S)S]₂Sb(μ—OPrⁱ)₂B(OPrⁱ)₂. These newly synthesized complexes have been characterized by elemental analysis and molecular weight measurement, and their plausible structures have been proposed on the basis of IR, NMR (¹H, ¹³C,³¹P,¹¹B), and FAB-mass spectral studies. On the basis of the spectroscopic evidence, a pseudo octahedral geometry around antimony and tetrahedral geometry around boron atom has been proposed. Cyclic O,O′-alkylenedithiophosphate ligands and their corresponding chloro bis(alkylenedithiophosphato)antimony(III) compounds have been screened for microbial activities. These compounds showed significant antifungal activity against Fusarium and Trichoderma and antibacterial activity against E. Coli and Pseudomonas.

Supplemental materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of Phosphorus, Sulfur, and Silicon and the Related Elements to view the free supplemental file.     

One-Pot Synthesis of 11C-Labelled Primary Benzamides via Intermediate [11C]Aroyl Dimethylaminopyridinium Salts

Electrophilic ¹¹C-labelled aroyl dimethylaminopyridinium salts, obtained by carbonylative cross-coupling of aryl halides with [¹¹C]carbon monoxide, were prepared for the first time and shown to be valuable intermediates in the synthesis of primary [¹¹C]benzamides. The methodology furnished a set of benzamide model compounds, including the two poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors niraparib and veliparib, in moderate to excellent radiochemical yields. In addition to providing a convenient and practical route to primary [¹¹C]benzamides, the current method paves the way for future application of [¹¹C]aroyl dimethylaminopyridinium halide salts in positron emission tomography (PET) tracer synthesis.     

The synthesis of a new cardiac sympathetic nerve imaging agent N-[11C]CH3-dopamine and biodistribution study

In this study, we synthesized and characterized N-[¹¹C]methyl-dopamine ([¹¹C]MDA) for cardiac sympathetic nerve imaging. [¹¹C]MDA was synthesized by direct N-methylation of dopamine with [¹¹C]methyl iodide and purified by semi-preparation reverse high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). The total synthesis time was 45 min including HPLC purification. The radiochemical yields of [¹¹C]MDA was 20 ± 3 %, without decay correction. The radiochemical purity was >98 % and the specific activity was about 50 GBq/mmol. The biological properties of [¹¹C]MDA were evaluated by biodistribution study in normal mice. PET imaging was performed in healthy Chinese mini-swines. Biodistribution study showed that [¹¹C]MDA had high myocardium uptake. PET/CT imaging showed [¹¹C]MDA had clear and symmetrical myocardium uptake, which was blocked obviously by injecting imipramine hydrochloride. [¹¹C]MDA would be a promising candidate of radiotracer for cardiac sympathetic nervous system imaging.     

A novel strategy for the preparation of the injectable PET/CT radiopharmaceutical (-)-[11C]-(1R,2S)-meta-hydroxyephedrine ((-)-[11C]HED

Positron emission tomography (PET) had been applied in clinical early diagnosis of various tumors and other diseases. The methylated synthetic conditions of (-)-[¹¹C]-(1R,2S)-meta-hydroxyephedrine ((-)-[¹¹C]HED), considered as one of the most important radiopharmaceuticals for PET, were optimized through single factor and orthogonal design methods. Here, we reported an improved purification protocol. The radiochemical yields of the final product were over 45% (decay-corrected and based on [¹¹C]methyl iodide) (n?=?50). The radiochemical purities and chemical purities were over 99% (n?=?50) and 97% (n?=?50), respectively. The automatic radiosynthesis procedure of (-)-[¹¹C]HED with relatively high radiochemical yield was convenient and reliable.

     

Stability of L-[S-methyl-11C]methionine solutions

For clinical PET studies L-[S-methyl-¹¹C]methionine ([¹¹C]MET) solutions have been prepared in both high doses and specific activities (up to 48.1 GBq and 370 GBq/mmol, respectively) with high radiochemical purity (>99%). The stability of these preparations was investigated by HPLC to ensure the radiopharmaceutical efficacy during the usable shelf life. Under our routine conditions the observed radiochemical purity loss never exceeded 3.5% one hour after EOS. The decomposition rate was affected by total activity and chemical composition of the solutions.