Complete deconstruction of SF6 by an aluminium(i) compound

Abstract

The room-temperature activation of SF₆, a potent greenhouse gas, is reported using a monovalent aluminium(I) reagent to form well-defined aluminium(III) fluoride and aluminium(III) sulfide products. New reactions have been developed to utilise the aluminium(III) fluoride and aluminium(III) sulfide as a nucleophilic source of F⁻ and S²⁻ for a range of electrophiles. The overall reaction sequence results in the net transfer of fluorine or sulfur atoms from an environmentally detrimental gas to useful organic products.