Use of organoboranes in modern medical imaging
Isotopically labeled materials have proven to be invaluable in chemi- cal, medical, and biological research. Organoboranes are b eginning to play a significant r ole in the synthesis of medically important materials which contain both stable and short-lived isotopes. The organic compounds of boron possess characteristics which make them ideal intermediates in radiopharmaceuti cal pathways; these include the f acts that boron reactions tolerate a wide variety of physiologically a ctive functionality and that the reactions proceed rapidly and in high yields. Boranes have found important applications in modern medical imaging techniques such as positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging