Abstract [18 F] Fluoro-L-dopa, an important radiopharmaceutical for positron emission tomography (PET), has been synthesized using a phase-transfer alkylation reaction. A chiral quaternary ammonium salt derived from a Cinchona alkaloid served as phase-transfer catalyst for the enantioselective alkylation of a glycine derivative. The active methylene group of this Schiff-base substrate was deprotonated with cesium hydroxide and rapidly ...
