A remote-controlled high pressure reactor for radiotracer synthesis with [11C]carbon monoxide

[11C]Carbon monoxide is a versatile building block for the synthesis of PET radiotracers. However, the difficulty of trapping [11C]CO in a small solvent volume has limited its utility. We wish to report the details of a simple, remotely operated High Pressure Reactor (HiPR) system for trapping and reacting practical quantities of [11C]CO. All parts used in the HiPR are commercially available, providing an inexpensive and easily assembled system. A number of compounds have been synthesized using the HiPR via palladium mediated reactions with [11C]CO, an aryl halide, and a nucleophile dissolved in dioxane. For example, AMPA receptor modulator [11C]CX546 was synthesized from its respective precursors in 37% isolated yield, uncorrected from trapped [11C]CO.