Trifluoroacetic acid 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 atoms and is a colorless liquid with a vinegar like odor. TFA is a stronger acid than acetic acid, having an acid ionisation constant that is approximately 34,000 times higher, as the highly electronegative fluorine atoms and consequent electron-withdrawing nature of the trifluoromethyl group weakens the oxygen-hydrogen bond (allowing for greater acidity) and stabilises the anionic conjugate base. TFA is widely used in organic chemistry for
Glutaconic acid Glutaconic acid "trans"-Glutaconic acid is an organic compound with formula HOCCH=CHCHCOH. This dicarboxylic acid exists as a colorless solid and is related to the saturated chemical glutaric acid, HOCC(CH)COH. Esters and salts of glutaconic acid are called glutaconates. The geometric isomer, "cis"-glutaconic acid, has a noticeably lower melting point (130–132 °C). It can be prepared by bromination of levulinic acid followed by treatment of the dibromoketone with potassium carbonate. Glutaconic anhydride, which forms by dehydration the diacid, exists mainly as the dicarbonyl tautomer in solution. It is a colorless solid melting at 77–82 °C. Either the "cis" or "trans" diacid