Triflic acid acid and its conjugate base CFSO, known as triflate, resist oxidation/reduction reactions, whereas many strong acids are oxidizing, e.g. perchloric or nitric acid. Further recommending its use, triflic acid does not sulfonate substrates, which can be a problem with sulfuric acid, fluorosulfuric acid, and chlorosulfonic acid. Below is a prototypical sulfonation, which HOTf does "not" undergo: Triflic acid fumes in moist air and forms a stable solid monohydrate, CFSOH·HO, melting point 34 °C. The triflate ligand is labile, reflecting its low basicity. Trifluoromethanesulfonic acid exothermically reacts with metal carbonates, hydroxides, and oxides. Illustrative is the synthesis of Cu(OTf). Chloride ligands
Trifluoroacetic acid causes severe skin burns and is toxic for aquatic organisms even at low concentrations. TFA's reaction with bases and metals, especially light metals, is strongly exothermic. The reaction with lithium aluminium hydride (LAH) results in an explosion. TFA is not biodegradable and is somewhat toxic to aquatic life - although it does not bioaccumulate, prevention of release into waterways is of extreme importance when using TFA Trifluoroacetic acid Trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) is an organofluorine compound with the chemical formula CFCOH. It is a structural analogue of acetic acid with all three of the acetyl group’s hydrogen atoms replaced by fluorine