Abstract It was possible to functionalize the three fluorobenzyl alcohols and the three 2- (fluorophenyl) ethanols by metalation and subsequent carboxylation, the prototype electrophilic trapping reaction. Triisopropylsilyl (TIPS) outperformed methoxymethyl (MOM) as an O-protective group making seven new fluorobenzoic acids accessible in 63% average yield. Moreover, the TIPS group tolerates weakly basic and acidic media and, therefore, ...