The radiolabeled non-natural amino acid 1-amino-3- cyclobutane-1-carboxylicacid (ACBC) and its analogs are candidate tumor imaging agents useful for positronemission tomography and single photon emission computed tomography due to theirselective affinity for tumor cells. The present invention provides methodsfor stereo-selective synthesis of syn-ACBC analogs. The disclosed syntheticstrategy is reliable and efficient and can be used to synthesize a gram quantityof various syn-isomers of the ACBC analogs, particularly, syn- [18F]-1-amino-3-fluorocyclobutane-1-carboxylicacid (FACBC) and syn- [123I]-1-amino-3-iodocyclobutane-1-carboxylic (IACBC)acid analogs.