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

The limited availability and the increasing demands of [18O]H2O force the reuse of bombarded [18O]H2O for the production of [18F]F− at least for the purposes of research. Therefore, inorganic and organic contaminants have to be removed from the [18O]H2O after bombardment. We present a simple, effective, easy-handling and reliable method of [18O]H2O purification including oxidation and distillation. The obtained recycled [18O]H2O had comparable quality to commercially distributed [18O]water. This was confirmed by a detailed comparison of produced radionuclides and their activities and the application of [18F]F− for the automated synthesis of [18F]fluspidine.