Salt Metathesis: Tetrafluoroborate Anion Rapidly Fluoridates Organoboronic Acids to give Organotrifluoroborates

Tetrafluoroborate (BF₄ ^- ) has long been used as a spectator counter anion. Herein, we report an unprecedented salt metathesis between a variety of BF₄ ^- salts and a series of organoboronic acids yielding the corresponding organotrifluoroborates. We identified conditions for fast and efficient fluoridation (<1 h) with minimal workup. Fundamentally, this work discloses the proclivity of BF₄ ^- to exchange fluoride atoms with organoboronates, highlighting the lability of BF₄ ^- .