Two 2-hydroxyethylalkyl sulphides of which the alkyl chains are highly fluorinated were synthesised and their interfacial activity as well as their ability for extracting palladium(II) were investigated. Such fluorinated compounds adsorb at the toluene/3 mol dm-3 HCl interface more efficiently and effectively than 2-hydroxyethyldecyl sulphide. It is shown that an increase in the fluorinated alkyl chain length from C7H4F10Cl to C9H4F14Cl has no important effect upon the interfacial activity. The fluorinated sulphides extract palladium(II) more quickly than their non-fluorinated analogues so that the equilibrium can be reached in 10 30 min. The extraction of palladium(II) is already rapid in a concentration region in which the sulphides do not exhibit a strong adsorption at the interface. The initial extraction rates obtained with the two fluorinated sulphides considered above are comparable to those obtained with more surface active reagents such as 4-decylphenylamine. Thus, the preadsorption of the fluorinated sulphides is not necessary for obtaining a high extraction rate.