https://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.S06135
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'.