From hypervalent xenon difluoride and aryliodine(III) difluorides to onium salts: Scope and limitation of acidic fluoroorganic reagents in the synthesis of fluoroorgano xenon(II) and iodine(III) onium salts

Fluorinated organodifluoroboranes R_fBF₂ are in general suitable reagents to transform XeF₂ and RIF₂ into the corresponding onium tetrafluoroborate salts R_fXe]BF₄] and R(R_f)I]BF₄], respectively. (4-C₅F₄N)BF₂ and trans-CF₃CFCFBF₂ which represent boranes of high acidity form no Xe-C onium salts in reactions with XeF₂ but give the desired iodonium salts with RIF₂ (R = C₆F₅, o-, m-, p-C₆FH₄). The reaction of (4-C₅F₄N)BF₂ with XeF₂ ends with a XeF₂-borane adduct. C₆F₅Xe(4-C₅F₄N), the first Xe-(4-C₅F₄N) compound, was obtained when C₆F₅XeF was reacted with Cd(4-C₅F₄N)₂. We describe the synthesis of (4-C₅F₄N)IF₂ and reactions of (4-C₅F₄N)IF₂ and C₆F₅IF₂ with (4-C₅F₄N)BF₂. Analogous to (4-C₅F₄N)₂I]BF₄] and C₆F₅(4-C₅F₄N)I]BF₄] aryl(perfluoroalkenyl)iodonium salts R(R′)I]BF₄] were obtained from RIF₂ (R = C₆F₅, o-, m-, p-C₆FH₄) and R′BF₂ (R′ = trans-CF₃CFCF, CF₂CF). The gas phase fluoride affinities pF⁻ of selected fluoroorganodifluoroboranes R_fBF₂ and their hydrocarbon analogs are calculated (B3LYP/6-31+G^*) and discussed with respect to their potential to introduce R_f-groups into hypervalent EF₂ bonds. Four aspects which influence the transformation of hypervalent EF₂ bonds (E = Xe, R′I) under the action of Lewis acidic reagents RAF_n−1 (A = B, P; n = 3, 5) into the corresponding RE]AF_n+1] salts are presented and the important role of the acidity is emphasized. Fluoride affinities may help to plan the introduction of organo groups into EF₂ moieties and to expand the types of acidic reagents. Thus C₆H₅PF₄ with a pF⁻ value comparable to that of R_fBF₂ compounds is able to introduce the C₆H₅ group into RIF₂ (R = C₆F₅, p-C₆FH₄).