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Science 7 July 2000:
Vol. 289. no. 5476, pp. 72 - 73
DOI: 10.1126/science.289.5476.72
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Perspectives

CHEMISTRY:
Superacids--It's a Lot About Anions

Darryl D. DesMarteau

Superacids are powerful agents for protonating weak bases, with applications ranging from synthetic chemistry to batteries and fuel cells. DesMarteau explains in his Perspective that many superacids have undesirable properties, because after proton donation, the resulting anion may interact strongly with the protonated base or the solvent. Reed et al. report the discovery of a superacid that overcomes this problem. In the anion, charge is distributed efficiently over many atoms, reducing unwanted interactions.

The author is in the Department of Chemistry, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634-0973, USA. E-mail: Fluorin{at}clemson.edu

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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)