A facile route to ‘naked’ Ag+ ions enabling the coordination of the weak Lewis base Ni(CO)4

Abstract

The reaction of AgCN with two equivalents of tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane (BCF) in CH₂Cl₂ or ortho-difluorobenzene (oDFB) provides a straightforward access to (solvated) Ag⁺ salts of the weakly coordinating cyanide-bridged anion [µ-(CN)(BCF)₂]⁻ (suggested abbreviation [BCNB]). Reacting Ag[BCNB] with Ni(CO)₄ yields the first structurally characterized complex in which Ni(CO)₄ acts as a ligand towards a transition metal ion proving the extremely low basicity of the anion.