Selective Radical Fluorination of Tertiary Alkyl Halides at Room Temperature.

Direct fluorination of tertiary alkyl bromides and iodides with Selectfluor is described. The halogen-exchange fluorination proceeds efficiently in acetonitrile at room temperature under metal-free conditions and exhibits a wide range of functional group compatibility. Furthermore, the reactions are highly selective in that alkyl chlorides and primary and secondary alkyl bromides remain intact. A radical mechanism is proposed for this selective fluorination.