Routine production of 2-deoxy-D-[1-11C]glucose : An alternative

Radiolabeling with [11C]HCN for Positron emission tomography

Hydrogen cyanide (HCN) is a versatile synthon for generating carbon‑carbon and carbon-heteroatom bonds. Unlike other one-carbon synthons (i.e., CO, CO2), HCN can function as a nucleophile (as in potassium cyanide, KCN) and an electrophile (as in cyanogen bromide, (CN)Br). The incorporation of the CN motif into organic molecules generates nitriles, hydantoins and (thio)cyanates, which can be converted to carboxylic acids, aldehydes, amides and amines. Such versatile chemistry is particularly attractive in PET radiochemistry where diverse bioactive small molecules incorporating carbon-11 in different positions need to be produced. The first examples of making [11C]HCN for radiolabeling date back to the 1960s. During the ensuing decades, [11C]cyanide labeling was popular for producing biologically important molecules including 11C-labeled α-amino acids, sugars and neurotransmitters. [11C]cyanation is now reemerging in many PET centers due to its versatility for making novel tracers. Here, we summarize the chemistry of [11C]HCN, review the methods to make [11C]HCN past and present, describe methods for labeling different types of molecules with [11C]HCN, and provide an overview of the reactions available to convert nitriles into other functional groups. Finally, we discuss some of the challenges and opportunities in [11C]HCN labeling such as developing more robust methods to produce [11C]HCN and developing rapid and selective methods to convert nitriles into other functional groups in complex molecules.

A modification to improve the reliability of [11 C]CN- production in the GE radiochemistry system

We report herein a modification to a component of the GE radiochemistry system that increases the yield and reliability of [¹¹ C]CN^- production from [¹¹ C]carbon dioxide.

Synthesis of [1-11C]D-glucosamine and evaluation of its in vivo distribution in rat with PET

D-Glucosamine is a structural unit of many biologically interesting macromolecules. To investigate the feasibility of using labelled D-glucosamine as a tracer for anabolic processes, a two-step synthetic procedure for specifically labelling D-glucosamine in position 1 with carbon-11 was developed. [11C]Cyanide was reacted with an imine precursor, N-benzyl-D-arabinosylamine, to generate the [1-11]alpha-amino nitrile. Reduction to [1-11C]D-glucosamine was accomplished by catalytic hydrogenation using PdCl2 and the N-benzyl group was simultaneously removed. The total synthesis time from end-of-trapping of [11C]cyanide was 40-45 min and the decay-corrected radiochemical yield was 5-10% after HPLC isolation. The biodistribution of [1-11C]D-glucosamine in rat following i.v. bolus injection was investigated using positron emission tomography and showed that the availability of this substance for CNS anabolism is low with the primary limitation being the intact blood-brain barrier.

Optimization of [11C]HCN production and no-carrier-added [1-11C]amino acid synthesis

The optimal conditions for the catalytic production of [11C]HCN from [11C]CO2 were investigated. [11C]CO2 was reduced to [11C]CH4 with H2 on Ni and then converted to [11C]HCN by reaction with NH3 on Pt in a radiochemical yield of more than 95% under the optimized conditions of an NH3 concentration of 5 vol%, a Pt furnace temperature of 920 degrees C, and a reaction gas flow rate of over 200 mL/min. Absorbers were used to remove O2 and H2O from the reaction gas. The synthesis of no-carrier-added [1-11C]amino acids from [11C]HCN via [11C]aminonitriles was successfully carried out. This method is suitable for automation of [1-11C]amino acid production.