Fully automated preparation of n.c.a. 4-[18F]fluorobenzoic acid and N-succinimidyl 4-[18F]fluorobenzoate using a Siemens/CTI chemistry process control unit (CPCU).

The widely used bifunctional labeling reagent 4-[18F]fluorobenzoic acid ([18F]FBA) and its activated form N-succinimidyl 4-[18F]fluorobenzoate ([18F]SFB) were prepared using a modified Siemens/CTI chemistry process control unit (CPCU) double vessel [18F]FDG module. The products were obtained with a radiochemical yield greater than 99% with decay corrected yields of 77+/-5% (n=4) for [18F]FBA and 46+/-5% (n=4) for [18F]SFB. The presented synthetic procedure is highly reproducible and fully automated.