Selectfluor is synthesized by the N-alkylation of [[DABCO|diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane (DABCO)]] with dichloromethane, followed by ion exchange with sodium tetrafluoroborate (replacing the chloride counterion for the tetrafluoroborate). The resulting salt is treated with elemental fluorine and sodium tetrafluoroborate:
The cation is often depicted with one skewed ethylene ((CH)) group.  In fact, these pairs of CH groups are eclipsed so that the cation has idealized C symmetry.