Chemical Properties
beige crystalline powder
Uses
Silver tetrafluoroborate finds applications as a useful reagent in inorganic, organic and organomettalic chemistry. It acts as a moderately strong oxidant in dichloromethane, replaces halide anions and ligands with weakly coordinating tetrafluoroborate anions, and behaves as a catalyst for cyclization reactions. It is a potent promoter for chemical glycosylation.
Application
Silver tetrafluoroborate is a transition metal salt extensively used in organic syntheses.
Gold Catalysts — 21st Century ′Gold Rush′
Displaces chloride from precious metal complexes used in the oxidation of alcohols by persulfate.
Provides a silver-ion template for improved macrolatamization of a linear dipeptide.
General Description
Silver tetrafluoroborate (AgBF4) is used as a Lewis acid in organic synthesis. It is known to have a high affinity towards organic halides. It is employed in organic reactions like activation of acyl chlorides, nucleophilic substitution, rearrangement, cycloaddition, cyclization, ring expansion and oxidation.
Safety Profile
Poison by intravenous route. When heated to decomposition it emits toxic fumes of F-. Used for plating baths. See also SILVER COMPOUNDS, BORON COMPOUNDS, and FLUORIDES.
Synthesis
Preparation of silver tetrafluoroborate and MBDP
This reaction is completed with the lights off. In a 25 mL round-bottom flask covered with aluminum foil, AgBF4 (0.0397 g (0.20 mmol) is dissolved in 10 mL CH3CN. To the solution MBDP (0.0645 g, 0.20 mmol) is added and allowed to stir for 3 hours. The solution is concentrated under vacuum to approximately 3 mL then layered with Et2O. The flask is placed in the freezer. X-ray quality crystals are formed.
