Significant amounts of reductive coupling of pentafluoropyridine to form 3 was not seen under the catalytic conditions described above. In an attempt to optimise this simple phosphine system for the preparation of 3, stoichiometric conditions for this reaction were explored. Thus, when P i Pr3 (1 equiv.) and 1 were allowed to react in MeCN at 20 o C for 30 minutes, 3 was formed in 84% yield, alongside an equivalent amount of PF2( i Pr)3 and a small amount of unreacted 1 (16%). We have observed similar reactivity with other phosphines under stoichiometric conditions and analogous reactivity has been described before for P(NEt2)3. Although this is stoichiometric in phosphine, rather than catalytic, given the generally low cost of the phosphines used and the simple and mild reaction conditions it may prove a useful route to 3.