Magic acid (FSO3H-SbF5), is a superacid consisting of a mixture, most commonly in a 1:1 molar ratio, of fluorosulfonic acid (HSO3F) and antimony pentafluoride (SbF5). This conjugate Bronsted-Lewis superacid system was developed in the 1960s by the George Olah lab at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, and has been used to stabilize carbocations and hypercoordinated carbonium ions in liquid media. Magic Acid and other superacids are also used to catalyze isomerization of saturated hydrocarbons, and have been shown to protonate even weak bases, including methane, xenon, halogens, and molecular hydrogen.
Famous quotes containing the word magic:
“Religion differs from magic in that it is not concerned with control or manipulation of the powers confronted. Rather it means submission to, trust in, and adoration of, what is apprehended as the divine nature of ultimate reality.”
—Joachim Wach (1898–1955)