Superelectrophiles are defined as cationic electrophilic reagents with greatly enhanced reactivities in the presence of superacids. These compounds were first described by George A. Olah. Superelectrophiles form as a doubly electron deficient superelectrophile by protosolvation of a cationic electrophile. As observed by Olah, a mixture of acetic acid and boron trifluoride is able to remove a hydride ion from isobutane when combined with hydrofluoric acid via the formation of a superacid from BF and HF. The responsible reactive intermediate is the [CHCOH] dication. Likewise, methane can be nitrated to nitromethane with nitronium tetrafluoroborate NOBF only in presence of a strong acid like fluorosulfuric acid via the protonated nitronium dication.
In gitionic (gitonic) superelectrophiles, charged centers are separated by no more than one atom, for example, the protonitronium ion O=N=O—H (a protonated nitronium ion).  And, in distonic superelectrophiles, they are separated by 2 or more atoms, for example, in the fluorination reagent F-TEDA-BF.