Orthoformic acid

Summary

Orthoformic acid or methanetriol is a chemical compound with the formula HC(OH)3. In this molecule, the central carbon atom is bound to one hydrogen and three hydroxyl groups.

Orthoformic acid
Stereo skeletal formula of orthoformic acid
Names
Preferred IUPAC name
Methanetriol[1]
Other names
Orthoformic acid
Trihydroxymethane
Identifiers
  • 463-78-5 checkY
3D model (JSmol)
  • Interactive image
ChemSpider
  • 4401409 checkY
  • 5231666
UNII
  • WIU6G972U6 checkY
  • DTXSID50894118 Edit this at Wikidata
  • InChI=1S/CH4O3/c2-1(3)4/h1-4H checkY
    Key: RLAHWVDQYNDAGG-UHFFFAOYSA-N checkY
  • InChI=1/CH4O3/c2-1(3)4/h1-4H
    Key: RLAHWVDQYNDAGG-UHFFFAOYAS
  • OC(O)O
Properties
HC(OH)3
Molar mass 64.040 g·mol−1
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
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Infobox references

Orthoformic acid was long held to be a hypothetical chemical compound too unstable to isolate or observe, as it was expected to decompose instantly into formic acid and water.[2] The compound was first observed in 2024 by mass spectrometry, which involved the electron-irradiated of a frozen mixture of methanol and oxygen.[3]

Esters edit

Methanetriol esters, known as orthoformates, are well known and commercially available.[4][5] Like acetals, they are stable towards bases but easily hydrolyzed in acidic conditions to the alcohol and an ester of formic acid. They are used as mild dehydrating agents. Especially well known are trimethyl orthoformate, triethyl orthoformate, and triisopropyl orthoformate.

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Methanetriol - PubChem". NCBI. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  2. ^ Bohm, Stanislav; Antipova, Diana; Kuthan, Josef (15 October 1996). "Study of methanetriol decomposition mechanisms". International Journal of Quantum Chemistry. 60 (2): 649–655. doi:10.1002/(SICI)1097-461X(1996)60:2<649::AID-QUA3>3.0.CO;2-X.
  3. ^ >Marks, Joshua H.; Bai, Xilin; Nikolayev, Anatoliy A.; Gong, Qi’ang; Zhu, Cheng; Kleimeier, N. Fabian; Turner, Andrew M.; Singh, Santosh K.; Wang, Jia; Yang, Jiuzhong; Pan, Yang; Yang, Tao; Mebel, Alexander M.; Kaiser, Ralf I. (17 April 2024). "Methanetriol─Formation of an Impossible Molecule". Journal of the American Chemical Society. doi:10.1021/jacs.4c02637.
  4. ^ Peter P. T. Sah, Tsu Sheng Ma (1932), ""ESTERS OF ORTHOFORMIC ACID". J. Am. Chem. Soc., volume 54, issue 7, pages 2964–2966 doi:10.1021/ja01346a048
  5. ^ H. W. Post (1943), "The Chemistry of the Aliphatic Orthoesters", Reinhold, 188 pages