AN EFFICIENT RADIOSYNTHESIS OF F-18! FLUOROMISONIDAZOLE

An efficient preparation of the hypoxic cell tracer -18!3-fluoro-1-(2' -nitro-1'-imidazolyl)-2-propanol (F-18!fluoromisonidazole) is reporte d. This radiopharmaceutical is of interest to probe hypoxic tissue in infarcts and tumors. One-step radiolabeling and rapid protection group removal provided 55-80% yield in 50 min. The process is similar to co mmon fluorine labeling procedures, simplifying the procedure for most laboratories, and offers an improvement over more difficult previous m ethods. The labeling precursor was prepared in five steps from readily available materials in a straightforward reaction scheme.