Abstract Displacement of the triflyl group by fluoride ion in benzyl 2, 3-anhydro-4-O- (trifluoromethylsulfonyl) pyranosides 1–3 leads with stereochemical inversion to the 4-fluoro- 4-deoxy sugars 4–6, providing a general method for the introduction of fluorine in the neighborhood of an oxirane ring into anhydro sugars. This procedure is mild, high yielding, and does not experience difficulties which sometimes are encountered in nucleophilic ...