One hypothesis, supported by the contrasting behavior observed with an excess of BF₃ compared to the catalytic effect seen with NOBF₄ excess, is that the formation of non-electroactive species could explain both the diminished electroactivity observed with sub-stoichiometric amounts of BF₃ and the complete extinction of the oxidation signal (loss of reversibility) when BF₃ was added in excess. This suggests that additional reaction occurs in the presence of BF₃-CH3CN, resulting in the formation of non-redox species alongside the oxidation of TEMPO.