Process for producing tetrakis(

1. A process for producing protic ammonium tetrakis( F aryl)borate or an onium tetrakis( F aryl)borate, from a solution or slurry of an alkali metal tetrakis( F aryl)borate in a liquid ethereal medium or a liquid hydrocarbyl medium, which process comprises the steps of:

i) substituting said liquid ethereal medium or liquid hydrocarbyl medium with at least one halogenated hydrocarbon, without isolating the alkali metal tetrakis( F aryl)borate:, to form a new slurry or solution; and

ii) mixing together at least a portion of said new slurry or solution produced in i) with a salt selected from a) a protic ammonium salt, wherein the protic ammonium cation has the formula [R 3 NH]⊕, in which each R is independently a hydrocarbyl group containing up to about thirty carbon atoms, and b) an onium salt, wherein the onium cation has the formula [ER n ]⊕, wherein E is an element of any of Groups 15–17 of the Periodic Table, wherein each R is independently a hydrocarbyl group containing up to about thirty carbon atoms, and wherein n is equal to the valence of E plus one;

wherein each of the F aryl groups is a fluorine-containing aryl group, each of which has bonded directly to an aromatic ring at least two fluorine atoms, or at least two perfluorohydrocarbyl groups, or at least one fluorine atom and at least one perfluorohydrocarbyl group.

2. A process according to claim 1 wherein said halogenated hydrocarbon is dichloromethane, trichloromethane, or 1,2-dichloroethane.

3. A process according to claim 2 wherein said halogenated hydrocarbon is dichloromethane.

4. A process according to claim 1 wherein said alkali metal tetrakis( F aryl)borate is a sodium or potassium tetrakis( F aryl)borate.

5. A process according to claim 4 wherein said alkali metal tetrakis( F aryl)borate is a potassium tetrakis( F aryl)borate.

6. A process according to claim 1 wherein said alkali metal tetrakis( F aryl)borate is a sodium or potassium tetrakis( F aryl)borate, and wherein said halogenated hydrocarbon is dichloromethane, trichloromethane, or 1,2-dichloroethane.

7. A process according to claim 1 wherein the aromatic ring of said F aryl group is a phenyl ring.

8. A process according to claim 1 wherein all of the positions on said aromatic ring(s) of said aryl group are substituted by fluorine atoms.

9. A process according to claim 8 wherein the tetrakis( F aryl)borate is tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)borate.

10. A process according to claim 9 wherein the alkali metal tetrakis( F aryl)borate is sodium tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)borate or potassium tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)borate.

11. A process according to claim 1 wherein the alkali metal tetrakis( F aryl)borate is sodium tribalism(pentafluorophenyl)borate or potassium tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)borate, and wherein said halogenated hydrocarbon is dichloromethane, trichloromethane, or 1,2-dichloroethane.

12. A process according to claim 11 wherein the alkali metal tetrakis( F aryl)borate is potassium tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)borate, and wherein said halogenated hydrocarbon is dichloromethane.

13. A process according to claim 1 wherein said salt is a protic ammonium salt.

14. A process according to claim 13 wherein at least one R group of said protic ammonium cation is a phenyl group.

15. A process according to claim 13 wherein the protic ammonium cation is a phenyl(dimethyl)ammonium cation.

16. A process according to claim 13 wherein the protic ammonium cation is a tri(n-octyl)ammonium cation.

17. A process according to claim 1 wherein the alkali metal tetrakis( F aryl)borate is sodium tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)borate or potassium tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)borate, and wherein said salt is a protic ammonium salt.

18. A process according to claim 17 wherein at least one R group of said protic ammonium cation is a phenyl group.

19. A process according to claim 17 wherein the protic ammonium cation is a phenyl(dimethyl)ammonium cation.

20. A process according to claim 17 wherein the protic ammonium cation is a tri(n-octyl)ammonium cation.

21. A process according to claim 1 wherein the alkali metal tetrakis( F aryl)borate is sodium tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)borate or potassium tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)borate, wherein said halogenated hydrocarbon is dichloromethane, trichloromethane, or 1,2-dichloroethane, wherein said salt is a protic ammonium salt, and wherein the protic ammonium cation is a phenyl(dimethyl)ammonium cation.

22. A process according to claim 1 wherein the alkali metal tetrakis( F aryl)borate is sodium tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)borate or potassium tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)borate, wherein said halogenated hydrocarbon is dichloromethane, trichloromethane, or 1,2-dichloroethane, wherein said salt is a protic ammonium salt, and wherein the protic ammonium cation is a tri(n-octyl)ammonium cation.

23. A process according to claim 1 wherein said salt is an onium salt.

24. A process according to claim 23 wherein at least one R group of said onium cation is a phenyl group.

25. A process according to claim 22 wherein all of the R groups of said onium cation are the same.

26. A process according to claim 24 wherein said onium salt is a diphenyliodonium salt.

27. A process according to claim 1 wherein the alkali metal tetrakis( F aryl)borate is sodium tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)borate or potassium tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)borate, and wherein said salt is an onium salt.

28. A process according to claim 27 wherein at least one R group of said onium cation is a phenyl group.

29. A process according to claim 27 wherein said onium salt is a diphenyliodonium salt.

30. A process according to claim 1 wherein the alkali metal tetrakis( F aryl)borate is sodium tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)borate or potassium tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)borate, wherein said halogenated hydrocarbon is dichloromethane, trichloromethane, or 1,2-dichloroethane, wherein said salt is an onium salt, and wherein said onium salt is a diphenyliodonium salt.

31. A process according to claim 1 wherein said at least a portion of alkali metal tetrakis( F aryl)borate and said salt are at room temperature when mixed together.