On a quantitative scale for Lewis acidity and recent progress in polynitrogen chemistry

A quantitative scale for Lewis acidities based on fluoride ion affinities is discussed. it uses pF(-) values which represent the fluoride ion affinities in kcal/mol divided by 10. These values were obtained for 106 Lewis acids in a self-consistent manner using ab initio calculations at the MP2/PDZ level of theory. In the area of polynitrogen chemistry, the synthesis and characterization of the novel N-5(+) cation from N2F+ and HN3 is described. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.