A General Protocol for Cu-Mediated Fluoro-deamination: Sandmeyer Fluorination of Diverse Aromatic Substrates.

A Cu(I)-mediated fluoro-deamination method for nucleophilic radiofluorination was devised. The method affords fluorinated aromatic products directly from anilines under both no-carrier added and stoichiometric conditions. Isolated radiochemical yields range from 11% to 81% with high radiochemical purities and a molar activity of 58 MBq/nmol. The reaction conditions were implemented successfully in an automated process for production of (S)-4[18F]fluorogluthetimide on a radiosynthesis module.