Recent progress on radiofluorination using metals: strategies for generation of C-¹⁸F bonds

C-F bond formation is an important research topic in organic synthesis because of the wide use of organofluorine compounds in various areas including pharmaceuticals, agricultural applications, and materials science. In particular, C-¹⁸F bond formation by incorporation of fluorine-18 (¹⁸F) with organic molecules is an important process to produce ¹⁸F-labeled radiotracers, which are commonly used in Positron Emission Tomography (PET). Several novel fluorination techniques have been developed due to the growing clinical demand for ¹⁸F radiotracers. Metal-mediated radiofluorination is a reliable method for the formation of C-¹⁸F bonds to produce ¹⁸F-labeled molecules compared to other methods. In this review, we summarize recent advances in the generation of C-¹⁸F bonds through metal-catalyzed radiofluorination.