A medium having a high acidity, generally greater than that of 100 wt.-% sulfuric acid. The common superacids are made by dissolving a powerful Lewis acid (e.g. SbF5) in a suitable Brønsted acid, such as HF or HSO3F. (An equimolar mixture of HSO3F and SbF5 is known by the trade name "magic acid".)
In a biochemical context "superacid catalysis" is sometimes used to denote catalysis by metal ions analogous to catalysis by hydrogen ions.
By analogy, a compound having a very high basicity, such as lithium diisopropylamide, is called a "superbase". GILLESPIE (1968); OLAH (1985); OLAH and OLAH (1970).
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