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
Dihydroxymalonic acid Dihydroxymalonic acid Dihydroxymalonic acid is an organic compound with formula CHO or HO-(C=O)-C(OH)-(C=O)-OH, found in some plants such as alfalfa and in beet molasses. The compound may also be called dihydroxymesoxalic acid, dihydroxypropanedioic acid. It can be viewed as a hydrate derivative of mesoxalic acid, and indeed it is often called mesoxalic acid monohydrate and other silmilar names. This compound is unusual in containing stable geminal hydroxy groups. Dihydroxymalonic acid is a water-soluble white solid. It crystallizes in deliquescent prisms that melt between 113 °C and 121 °C without loss of water. It has been used in medical research as