A Highly Efficient Conversionof Primary or Secondary Alcohols into Fluorides with n-Perfluorobutanesulfonyl Fluoride-Tetrabutylammonium Triphenyldifluorosilicate

Direct fluorination of primary and secondary alcohols by a combination of perfluoro-1-butanesulfonyl fluoride (PBSF) and tetrabutylammonium triphenyldifluorosilicate (TBAT) under mild conditions provides the corresponding fluorides in high yields. With this combination, elimination side reactions could be significantly suppressed and chiral secondary alcohols were less prone to epimerization at the reaction center.