A method for detecting water in organic solvents.

The potent dehydrating ability of difluoro(aryl)-lambda (3)-iodanes is exploited to develop a convenient (19)F-NMR-based aquametry method that is more sensitive than coulometric Karl Fischer titration. The key difluoro(aryl)-lambda (3)-iodane reagents are synthesized readily from commercially available and inexpensive precursors.