Selectfluor, 1-chloromethyl-4-fluoro-1,4-diazoniabicyclo-[2.2.2] octane bis(tetrafluoroborate), is among the most popular fluorinating reagents owning to its commercially availability and non-hygroscopic property. The discovery and understanding of new reactivities of selectfluor are thus important for reaction design and optimization when this popular reagent is employed. It has been found that selectfluor could selectively remove Boc group from doubly protected amines in acetonitrile. This deprotection could be of interest when compared to other reported methods, not only because selectfluor is a solid and easy-to-handle, but also because the reaction is mild, operationally simple and chemoselective. The potential usefulness of this method is demonstrated by the deprotection of a series of protected amino acids and a one-step synthesis of pharmaceutically important purine derivative. The NMR experiments conducted in CD 3 CN explain why stoichiometric amount of selectfluor is needed for a successful reaction.