Updated Appel reaction finally fluorinates alcohols

An ingenious twist on a classic reaction provides easy access to chiral alkyl fluorides using a safe fluorine source derived straight from the mineral fluorspar. The reimagined Appel reaction avoids the need for the harsh conditions and problematic reagents that were previously required to directly fluorinate alcohols. The new strategy is part of a wider effort by a University of Oxford team seeking to overhaul synthetic approaches to fluorine chemistry.