Interest in fluorinated sugars labelled with {18F} positron-emitting radionuclides as tracers for the measurement of glucose utilization in man by positron emission tomography1(PET) and in animals by autoradiography2has resulted in the development of numerous syntheses3-11of 2-deoxy-2-fluoro-D-glucose (3a). Some of these syntheses are not practical because the carbohydrate substrates for the fluorination reactions are not readily available.