Convenient recycling and reuse of bombarded [18O]H2O for the production and the application of [18F]F−

Abstract The limited availability and the increasing demands of [ 18 O]H 2 O force the reuse of bombarded [ 18 O]H 2 O for the production of [ 18 F]F − at least for the purposes of research. Therefore, inorganic and organic contaminants have to be removed from the [ 18 O]H 2 O after bombardment. We present a simple, effective, easy-handling and reliable method of [ 18 O]H 2 O purification including oxidation and distillation. The obtained recycled [ 18 O]H 2 O had comparable quality to commercially distributed [ 18 O]water. This was confirmed by a detailed comparison of produced radionuclides and their activities and the application of [ 18 F]F − for the automated synthesis of [ 18 F]fluspidine.