An efficient preparation of the hypoxic cell tracer [18F]3-fluoro-1-(2'-nitro-1'-imidazolyl)-2-propanol ([18F]fluoromisonidazole) is reported. This radiopharmaceutical is of interest to probe hypoxic tissue in infarcts and tumors. One-step radiolabeling and rapid protection group removal provided 55-80% yield in 50 min. The process is similar to common fluorine labeling procedures, simplifying the procedure for most laboratories, and offers an improvement over more difficult previous methods. The labeling precursor was prepared in five steps from readily available materials in a straightforward reaction scheme.