4179. Fluorosulfonic Acid

Nomenclature

CAS number: 7789-21-1
Fluorosulfuric acid; fluosulfonic acid.
FHO3S; mol wt 100.07.
F 18.99%, H 1.01%, O 47.96%, S 32.04%.
HSO3F.

Description and references

Prepn: Thorpe, Kirman, J. Chem. Soc. 61, 921 (1892); Meyer, Schramm, Z. Anorg. Allg. Chem. 206, 25 (1932); Kwasnik in Handbook of Preparative Inorganic Chemistry vol. 1, G. Brauer, Ed. (Academic Press, New York, 2nd ed., 1963) pp 177-178. Reviews of properties and chemistry: Gillespie, Acc. Chem. Res. 1, 202-209 (1968); Thompson, “Fluorosulfuric Acid” in Inorganic Sulfur Chemistry, G. Nickless, Ed. (Elsevier, New York, 1968) pp 587-606; Jache in Adv. Inorg. Chem. Radiochem. 16, 177-200 (1974).

Properties

Colorless liquid; fumes in moist air. d418 1.740; d425 1.726. mp 89°. bp760 163°; bp120 110.0°; bp19 77.0°. Stable to 900°. Considerably more acidic than 100% H2SO4. Corrosive. Does not attack glass when anhydr and pure. Violent reaction with water although it is incompletely and reversibly hydrolyzed. Reddish-brown color with acetone. Forms stable salts which are little hydrolyzed by water and which may be recrystallized from water.

Derivative

Methyl ester see Methyl Fluorosulfonate.

Caution

May be highly irritating to skin, mucous membranes.

Use

Fluorinating agent. Catalyst in alkylation, acylation, polymerization and condensation reactions; in hydrofluorination of olefins; in production of substituted pyridines. In production of petroleum products. See Thompson, loc. cit. Magic Acid, a 1:1 HSO3F-SbF5 soln, is used in the study of stable solns of alkyl- and arylcarbonium ions: Olah, Science 168, 1298 (1970).