Superacid

A superacid is an acid with an acidity greater than that of 100% pure sulfuric acid.[1][2] According to the modern definition, a superacid has a chemical potential of the proton higher than that of pure sulfuric acid.[3]

Acids and Bases
Acid dissociation constant
Acid-base extraction
Acid–base reaction
Acid–base titration
Dissociation constant
Acidity function
Buffer solutions
pH
Proton affinity
Self-ionization of water
Acid types
Brønsted · Lewis · Mineral
Organic · Strong
Superacids · Weak
Base types
Brønsted · Lewis · Organic
Strong · Superbases
Non-nucleophilic · Weak

Chemists use strong acids to break down other molecules. Some molecules are so strong (held together with strong chemical bonds) that they resist attack by common acids. Superacids can break down molecules that stand up to most other acids.

Commercially available superacids include trifluoromethanesulfonic acid (CF3SO3H), also known as triflic acid, and fluorosulfonic acid (FSO3H). Both superacids are about a thousand times stronger (that is, have more negative H0 values) than sulfuric acid. The strongest superacids are prepared by the combination of two components, a strong Lewis acid and a strong Brønsted acid. The strongest known superacid is fluoroantimonic acid.

References
  1. Hall NF, Conant JB (1927). "A study of superacid solutions". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 49 (12): 3062–70. doi:10.1021/ja01411a010.
  2. Non-simple definition: a superacid has a Hammett acidity function (H0) of −12.
  3. Himmel D.; et al. (2010). "A unified pH scale for all phases". Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 49 (38): 6885–6888. doi:10.1002/anie.201000252. PMID 20715223.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.