Direct C–H Radiocyanation of Arenes via Organic Photoredox Catalysis

Innovative labeling methods to incorporate the short-lived positron emitter carbon-11( 11 C) into bioactive molecules are attractive for positron emission tomography (PET) tracer discovery. Herein, we report a direct C–H radiocyanation method that incorporates [ 11 C]cyanide ( 11 CN – ) to a series of functional electron-rich arenes via photoredox catalysis. This photoredox-mediated radiocyanation can proceed in an aerobic environment and is not moisture sensitive, which allows for ease of reaction setup and for scalable synthesis of 11 C-aryl nitriles from readily available precursors.