History of the first synthesis of 2-deoxy-2-fluoro-D-glucose the unlabeled forerunner of 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-glucose.

The history of the first successful synthesis of 2-deoxy-2-fluoro-D-glucose (19FDG) is described. In many aspects, this substance imitates the behavior of naturally occurring glucose. For example, it is transported into the cells and is converted to the corresponding 6-phosphate by the enzyme hexokinase in a manner similar to glucose. Due to the presence of the fluorine atom at C-2, however, this phosphate derivative does not undergo further glycolysis but is metabolically trapped in the cell. Thanks to these properties, eight years after the synthesis of 19FDG, its 18F-labeled derivative was successfully used with positron emission tomography (PET).