A one‐step automated synthesis of the dopamine transporter ligand [ 18 F]FECNT from the chlorinated precursor

The use of [ 18 F]labelled nortropane derivative 2 β ‐carbomethoxy‐3 β ‐(4‐chlorophenyl)‐8‐(2‐fluoroethyl)‐nortropane (FECNT) as a dopamine transporter ligand for PET imaging is dependent on efficient radiosynthesis method. Herein, the automated synthesis of [ 18 F]FECNT from its chlorinated precursor in commercially available SynChrom [ 18 F] R&D module has been developed. The synthesis unit was readily configured for the one‐step synthesis from corresponding chlorinated precursor. The radiolabeling process involved a classical [ 18 F]fluoride nucleophilic substitution performed at 110 °C for 12 min and finally HPLC and SPE purification. Crude [ 18 F]FECNT was obtained with a radiolabeling yield of 59 ± 12% ( n  = 5). The average uncorrected amount of [ 18 F]FECNT in the final formulated dose was 2.0 ± 0.5 GBq (32 ± 7% overall decay‐corrected yields) obtained with radiochemical purity over 99% and specific activity of 55 GBq/µmol. The total duration of the procedure was 80–90 min. An automated radiosynthesis of [ 18 F]FECNT with high radiochemical purity may provide a simple and robust method of radiopharmaceutical preparation for routine clinical applications.