Complete deconstruction of SF(6) by an aluminium(i) compound

The room-temperature activation of SF(6), 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 S(2−) 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.