30 years of [11C]methyl triflate

Ethan M Jewett; Kjell Någren; Bruce H Mock; G Leonard Watkins

doi:10.1016/j.apradiso.2023.110812

30 years of [¹¹C]methyl triflate

Appl Radiat Isot. 2023 Jul:197:110812. doi: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2023.110812. Epub 2023 Apr 16.

Authors

Ethan M Jewett¹, Kjell Någren², Bruce H Mock³, G Leonard Watkins⁴

Affiliations

¹ 23andMe, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA, 94086, USA. Electronic address: ejewett@gmail.com.
² Östre Stationsvej, 36 1TH, 5000, Odense, Denmark.
³ Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA.
⁴ University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA.

PMID: 37087867
DOI: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2023.110812

Abstract

Some scientific discoveries are well known only to a core group of researchers working on technical subjects. Nevertheless, they open new research directions, allow existing knowledge to be viewed in entirely new and useful ways, or provide a way to make something that was hard or impossible to make before. Carbon-11 methyl triflate ([¹¹C]MeOTf) is one such advance, facilitating the synthesis of many carbon-11 radio tracers and broadening the range of applications of carbon-11 radiochemistry. The year 2022 marked the 30th anniversary of the original paper in Applied Radiation and Isotopes introducing a simple synthesis of [¹¹C]MeOTf from carbon-11 methyl iodide ([¹¹C]MeI) and it also marked the end of the fruitful career and life of the researcher who developed it, Douglas Jewett. It seems fitting to say a few words on how it came to be and how it has helped advance carbon-11 radiochemistry.