Herein we describe the compatibility of 2-(trifluoromethyl)-2,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropane nitrile, an insulating gas for gas-insulated equipment, with aluminum, silver and copper. In an autoclave metal samples, oxygen, the gaseous 2-(trifluoromethyl)-2,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropane nitrile and a small amount of water were mixed at elevated pressure and heated up to 225°C [a] 1989 for several weeks. When Cu was present a multi-step gas phase reaction occurred, and single crystals of a copper complex were isolated. The square planar copper(II) complex contains two perfluorinated N-acylamidine ligands. The structure of the complex was obtained by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Scheme 1. Synthesis of copper complex 2 from nitrile 1.