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
Phosphomolybdic acid Phosphomolybdic acid Phosphomolybdic acid, also known as dodeca molybdophosphoric acid or PMA, is a yellow-green chemical compound that freely soluble in water and polar organic solvents such as ethanol. It is used as a stain in histology and in organic synthesis Phosphomolybdic acid is a component of Masson's trichrome stain. Phosphomolybdic is used as a stain for developing thin-layer chromatography plates, staining phenolics, hydrocarbon waxes, alkaloids, and steroids. Conjugated unsaturated compounds reduce PMA to molybdenum blue. The color intensifies with increasing number of double bonds in the molecule being stained. Phosphomolybdic acid is also occasionally used in acid-catalyzed reactions in