The corresponding triflate anion, CF3SO−3, is an extremely stable polyatomic ion; this comes from the fact that triflic acid (CF3SO3H) is a superacid; i.e. it is more acidic than pure sulfuric acid, already one of the strongest acids known.
Triflate salts are thermally very stable with melting points up to 350 °C for sodium, boron and silver salts especially in water-free form. They can be obtained directly from triflic acid and the metal hydroxide or metal carbonate in water. Alternatively, they can be obtained from reacting metal chlorides with neat triflic acid or silver triflate, or from reacting barium triflate with metal sulfates in water:[1]
^Aihara, Yoshinori; Chatani, Naoto (10 April 2013). "Nickel-Catalyzed Direct Alkylation of C–H Bonds in Benzamides and Acrylamides with Functionalized Alkyl Halides via Bidentate-Chelation Assistance". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 135 (14): 5308–5311. doi:10.1021/ja401344e. PMID23495861.