Colored salts of pyridinium tetraalkylborates [Py
+,BR4
-] are readily isolated by the
metathesis of LiBMe4, LiBMePh3, or NaBPh4 with a series of pyridinium triflates in aqueous
solution. The interionic charge-transfer (CT) interaction between the organoborate anions
and the pyridinium cations is established by their characteristic charge-transfer absorption
bands and X-ray crystal structures. Thermal and photochemical CT activations of the salts
lead to efficient methyl transfer from tetramethylborate (or methyltriphenylborate) to the
pyridinium cations to afford the various nucleophilic adducts (Py-Me) in good yields. Contact
charge-transfer ion pairs are identified as the critical intermediates in the formal nucleophilic
addition and thus play important roles in determining the regiochemistry of the alkylation
and the solid-state reactivity of the [Py
+,BR4
-] salts.