A superacid is an acid with an acidity greater than that of 100% sulfuric acid. Commercially available superacids include trifluoromethanesulfonic acid (CF₃SO₃H), also known as triflic acid, and fluorosulfuric acid (FSO₃H), both of which are about a thousand times stronger than sulfuric acid. The strongest superacids are prepared by the combination of two components, a strong Lewis acid and a strong Brønsted acid. Acidity is a controversial novelette written for the popular South Asian website Chowk. ... Sulfuric acid (British English: sulphuric acid), H2SO4, is a strong mineral acid. ... Trifluoromethanesulfonic acid, also known as triflic acid or TfOH, is a sulfonic acid with the chemical formula CF3SO3H . ... Fluorosulfuric acid is FSO3H; it is one of the strongest acids commercially available in terms of acidic activity. ... In chemistry, a Lewis acid can accept a pair of electrons and form a coordinate covalent bond, after the American chemist Gilbert Lewis. ... A Brønsted-Lowry acid (sometimes shortened to Brønsted acid) is an acid that donates a hydrogen ion to another compound, called a Brønsted-Lowry base. ...

The term superacid was originally coined by James Bryant Conant in 1927 to describe acids that were stronger than conventional mineral acids. George A. Olah was awarded the 1994 Nobel prize in chemistry for his investigations of superacids and their use in the direct observation of carbocations. Olah's "magic acid", so-named for its ability to attack hydrocarbons, is prepared by mixing antimony pentafluoride (SbF₅) and fluorosulfuric acid. James Bryant Conant (March 26, 1893 - February 11, 1978) was a chemist, educational administrator, and public servant. ... 1927 (MCMXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Headline text Happy Hannukah and a happy new year!! POOP e Butt ... George Andrew Olah (born 1927) is a U.S. (Hungarian-born) chemist. ... A carbocation is an ion with a positively-charged carbon atom. ... Antimony pentafluoride, SbF5 is a chemical compound. ...

The strongest superacid system, the so-called fluoroantimonic acid, is a combination of hydrogen fluoride and SbF₅. In this system, HF releases its proton (H⁺) concomitant with the binding of F⁻ by the antimony pentafluoride. The resulting anion (SbF₆⁻) is both a very weak nucleophile and a very weak base. The proton effectively becomes "naked", which accounts for the system's extreme acidity. Fluoroantimonic acid is 10¹⁶ times stronger than 100% sulfuric acid.^[1] Fluoroantimonic acid HFSbF5 is a mixture of hydrogen fluoride and antimony pentafluoride in a various ratios. ... Hydrogen fluoride is the chemical compound with the formula HF. It is the only fluoride of hydrogen. ... An anion is an ion with negative charge. ... In chemistry, a nucleophile (literally nucleus lover) is a reagent which is attracted to centres of positive charge. ... A bases in chemistry is a chemical substance which has a free pair of electrons to bind a Hydrogen ion commonly referred to as a proton (IUPAC definition). ... Properties [1][2] In physics, the proton (Greek proton = first) is a subatomic particle with an electric charge of one positive fundamental unit (1. ...

Olah showed that at 140 °C, FSO₃H-SbF₅ will convert methane into the tertiary-butyl carbocation, a reaction that begins with the protonation of methane:^[2] Methane is a significant and plentiful fuel which is the principal component of natural gas. ... A carbocation is an ion with a positively-charged carbon atom. ...

CH₄ + H⁺ → CH₅⁺

CH₅⁺ → CH₃⁺ + H₂

CH₃⁺ + 3 CH₄ → (CH₃)₃C⁺ + 3 H₂

See also

• Superbase

In chemistry, a superbase is an extremely strong base. ...

References

N. F. Hall and J. B. Conant, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 49, 3047, 1927.

1. ^ Olah, George A. (2005). "Crossing Conventional Boundaries in Half a Century of Research". Journal of Organic Chemistry 70 (7): 2413–2429. DOI:S0022-3263(04)00285-3 10.1021/jo040285o S0022-3263(04)00285-3.
2. ^ Olah, G. A.; Schlosberg, R. H. "Chemistry in Super Acids. I. Hydrogen Exchange and Polycondensation of Methane and Alkanes in FSO₃H-SbF₅ ("Magic Acid") Solution. Protonation of Alkanes and the Intermediacy of CH₅⁺ and Related Hydrocarbon Ions. The High Chemical Reactivity of "Paraffins" in Ionic Solution Reactions" Journal of the American Chemical Society, 1968, volume 90, pages 2726 - 2727; DOI: 10.1021/ja01012a066