An automated SPE-based high-yield synthesis of [11C]acetate and [11C]palmitate: no liquid-liquid extraction, solvent evaporation or distillation required.

INTRODUCTION: An automated method is described for the rapid and high-yield synthesis of two of the most commonly used radioactive fatty acids: [(11)C]acetate and [(11)C]palmitate.

METHODS: Reaction of [(11)C]CO(2) with the respective Grignard reagents in diethyl ether solution proceeded for 2 min at 40°C. Quenching of the reaction and liberation of nonreacted [(11)C]CO(2) occurred upon addition of a fourfold molar excess of aqueous 0.1 M HCl (acetate) or nonaqueous HCl/Et(2)O (palmitate). Labeled products were then purified by adsorption to an Alumina-N Sep-Pak Plus cartridge and eluted with either aqueous NaH(2)PO(4) solution (acetate) or 100% ethanol (palmitate).

RESULTS: High-performance liquid chromatography analysis confirmed that the radiochemical purity of each product was >98%, and decay-corrected radiochemical yields averaged 33% for [(11)C]palmitate and 40% for [(11)C]acetate.

CONCLUSION: The method requires no liquid-liquid extraction, solvent evaporation or distillation capabilities and can be readily adapted to existing radiosynthesis modules.