Non-coordinating anions

Nitrate is a polyatomic ion with the chemical formula . Salts containing this ion are called nitrates. Nitrates are common components of fertilizers and explosives. Almost all inorganic nitrates are soluble in water. An example of an insoluble (inorganic) nitrate is bismuth oxynitrate.

A perchlorate is a chemical compound used mainly in making rocket fuel and fireworks, as well as some other industrial uses. In many countries it is used to treat hyperthyroidism, but (mainly because of its effect on the thyroid gland) it is an environmental toxin which endangers human health when it contaminates food and water.

Hexafluorophosphate is an anion with chemical formula of . It is an octahedral species that imparts no color to its salts. is isoelectronic with sulfur hexafluoride, , and the hexafluorosilicate dianion, , and hexafluoroantimonate . In this anion, phosphorus has a valence of 5. Being poorly nucleophilic, hexafluorophosphate is classified as a non-coordinating anion.

thumb|right|The structure of the tetrafluoroborate anion, Tetrafluoroborate is the anion . This tetrahedral species is isoelectronic with tetrafluoroberyllate (), tetrafluoromethane (CF4), and tetrafluoroammonium () and is valence isoelectronic with many stable and important species including the perchlorate anion, , which is used in similar ways in the laboratory. It arises by the reaction of fluoride salts with the Lewis acid BF3, treatment of tetrafluoroboric acid with base, or by treatment of boric acid with hydrofluoric acid.

anion which interacts only weakly with cations

Bistriflimide, also known variously as bis(trifluoromethane)sulfonimide, bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide, bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imidate (and variations thereof), informally and somewhat inaccurately as triflimide or triflimidate, or by the abbreviations TFSI or NTf2, is a non-coordinating anion with the chemical formula [(CF3SO2)2N]−. Its salts are typically referred to as being metal triflimidates.

[[Image:BARF.png|200px|right|thumb|The [BArF4]− anion with four fluorinated aryl (ArF) groups distributed tetrahedrally about a central boron atom.]] Tetrakis[3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]borate is an anion with chemical formula [{3,5-(CF3)2C6H3}4B]−, which is commonly abbreviated as [BArF4]−, indicating the presence of fluorinated aryl (ArF = 3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl) groups. It is sometimes referred to as ''Kobayashi's anion'' in honour of Hiroshi Kobayashi who led the team that first synthesised it. More commonly it is affectionately nicknamed "BARF". The BARF ion is also abbreviate