A method for labelling 6,7-dichloro-2,3-dihydroxyquinoxaline (DCQX) in position 2 with carbon-1 1 is presented. Diethyl [l-l1C]oxalate was synthesized in a two-step, microwave-assisted procedure from no-camer-added [ 1 Wlcyanide and was reacted with 4,5-dichloro-l,2-phenylenediamine in sulfuric acid at ISOOC for 10 min. [2-1 ICIDCQX, isolated by semi-preparative HPLC, was >99% radiochemically pure with a specific activity ranging between 19 -26 TBq/mmol. The total time of synthesis was 45-55 min and the isolated, decay-corrected yields were on the order of lo%, based on the trapped [IlCIcyanide. A PET study of its biodistribution after intravenous injection in a male rat revealed that the extraction of [2-* ICIDCQX across the intact blood-brain barrier was 12%.