A remarkable series of perfluoroalkyl anions, generated by reaction of caesium fluoride with various perfluorinated alkenes have been observed by 19F and 13C n.m.r. spectroscopy. Trapping experiments are described and threshold temperatures are established for the onset of fluoride ion exchange. The effects of counter ions are compared and (Me,N),S+ (TAS) salts are more readily produced than Cs+ salts, but exchange of fluoride ion with fluorinated alkenes occurs more readily with TAS salts. Ph,P+ and Bu,N+ salts could not be obtained. Competition experiments for CsF between various perfluoroalkenes has established orders of carbanion stability.Carbanions take up a central role in the chemistry of unsaturated fluorocarbons ' in a way that is analogous to the role of carbocations in the chemistry of unsaturated hydrocarbons. Indeed, many of the papers in this series are concerned with pursuing a formal analogy between the chemistry of fluorinated carbanions, generated by reaction of fluoride-ion with unsaturated fluorocarbons, and the known chemistry involving proton-induced formation of carbocations. The spectacular work of Olah and co-~orkers,~ involving observable carbocations has, understandably, stimulated our search for observable fluorinated carbanions and we have previously described various perfluorinated cyclic anions and o-complexes. The (la) Scheme 1. generation of perfluoroalkyl anions k (1) + Oligomers(la), using fluoride ion sources in reactions of fluorinated alkenes (l), is well known3 but these are rarely long-lived since they promote oligomerisation reactions of the corresponding alkene (Scheme 1).Obviously, only in cases where K is large, or the rate constant for oligomerisation k is small, will there be a long-lived carbanion intermediate (la). Early attempts to observe perfluorinated tert-alkyl anions by n.m.r. were complicated by exchange phenomena involving proton transfers arising from hydrogen difluoride ions, used as the fluoride ion source.We now find that solutions of stable caesium salts of various simple perfluoroalkyl anions may be obtained and observed by n.m.r.; furthermore, some of these salts may even be obtained as solids. The most simple anion that we have observed, perfluorot-butylcaesium (Za), is obtained very simply by stirring a mixture containing perfluoroisobutene (2), caesium fluoride, and tetraglyme in a sealed system at room temperature. A clear homogeneous solution was obtained after removing excess of caesium fluoride and the n.m.r. spectra confirm, conclusively, formation of the salt (2a) (Figure 1). Quite clearly, the equilibrium lies completely on the side of the anion in solution and, from the sharpness of the spectra, exchange is slow on the n.m.r. timescale. On slight cooling ( 1 0 -1 5 "C) solid separated from solution, which was filtered and, on redissolving the solid, the solution spectrum of the anion (2a) was identical with that obtained previously (Figure I). Thus, the demonstration of a solid carbanion indicates the exciting possibility of growing crysta...