The cubic phase of boron nitride (c-BN) is an extremely promising multifunctional material. However, to exploit all possible applications, a successful route for large area chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of c-BN films is required. Adsorption of gaseous growth species onto the c-BN surface is one of the key elementary reactions in CVD growth of c-BN. The present study has therefore focused on, by using density functional theory (DFT), the kinetics of the adsorption processes for BFx, and NHx species (x = 0, 1, 2, 3) occurring on the H- of F-covered B- and N-terminated c-BN(100) surfaces. It was shown that BFx and NHx (x = 0,1,2,3) adsorption occurs without any energy barrier for all x. Adsorption of growth species on a monoradical surface site on the F-covered B-terminated c-BN(100)-(2 x 1) surface and the H-covered N-terminated c-BN(100)-(1 x 1) surface is therefore expected to be a highly facile process. However, decomposition of the incoming BF3 and NH3 growth species is needed for CVD growth of c-BN to occur. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.