What substance does 18F-Fluoromethyltriflate react with?

18F-Fluoromethyltriflate is a radiolabeled compound commonly utilized in positron emission tomography (PET) imaging, particularly for labeling biomolecules and studying biological processes. The compound is known to react with nucleophiles, and dimethylethanolamine serves as a good example in this regard.

In this context, dimethylethanolamine is a secondary amine that contains a nitrogen atom with a lone pair capable of acting as a nucleophile. When 18F-Fluoromethyltriflate is introduced to dimethylethanolamine, a chemical reaction occurs yielding a radiolabeled product through nucleophilic substitution. The nucleophilic attack by the nitrogen on the electrophilic carbon in 18F-Fluoromethyltriflate results in the formation of a new bond, facilitating the incorporation of fluorine-18 into the molecule of interest.

This reaction is significant in radiochemistry for the preparation of PET imaging agents, allowing researchers to visualize and track specific biological targets within the body. In contrast, while substances like cholesterol, acetylcholine, and serotonin are important in biological systems, they do not possess the same reactivity with 18F-Fluoromethyltrif