Triphenylmethyl hexafluorophosphate

Triphenylmethyl hexafluorophosphate

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Names
Other names Trityl hexafluorophosphate Triphenylcarbenium hexafluorophosphate
Identifiers
CAS Number	437-17-2 N
Properties
Chemical formula	C19H15F6P
Molar mass	388.31 g/mol
Appearance	brown powder
Melting point	145 °C (293 °F; 418 K)
Vapor pressure	{{{value}}}
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

Triphenylmethyl hexafluorophosphate is an organic salt with the formula C(C₆H₅)₃PF₆. This compound is a brown powder that is air sensitive and changes colors when exposed to light. Triphenylmethyl hexafluorophosphate is used as a catalyst and reagent in organic syntheses.

Preparation

Triphenylmethyl hexafluorophosphate is generated by two ways. The first method is by combining silver hexafluorophosphate with triphenylmethyl chloride:

AgPF₆+C(C₆H₅)₃Cl→C(C₆H₅)₃PF₆+AgCl

The second method of generating triphenylmethyl hexafluorophosphate is through the reaction of triphenylmethyl chloride with an ether complex of hexafluorophosphoric acid:

Ph₃CCl+HPF₆·O(C₂H₅)₂→Ph₃C⁺PF⁻₆+HCl+(C₂H₅)₂O

Triphenylmethyl chloride is afforded by combining carbon tetrachloride and benzene in a Friedel-Crafts reaction.

Structure and Properties

The trityl group can exist in three oxidation states: the trityl cation, the trityl radical, and the trityl anion. The trityl cation is the form present in triphenylmethyl hexafluorophosphate. The triphenylmethyl cation effectively has D3h molecular symmetry.

The hexafluorophosphate of triphenylmethyl hexafluorophosphate readily undergoes hydrolysis.

CPh₃PF₆+H₂O→HOCPh₃+HPF₆

Triphenylmethyl hexafluorophosphate combined with water in basic conditions undergo hydrolysis to form triphenylmethanol and the conjugate acid hexafluorophosphoric acid. When acidic conditions are present, the reaction will proceed in the opposite direction and triphenyl methanol will form triphenylmethyl hexafluorophosphate and water.

Reactions

Triphenylmethyl hexafluorophosphate has been used for abstracting hydride from transition metal alkene and diene complexes. For example, triphenylmethyl hexafluorophosphate can also ionize an alkoxy substituted and cyclopentadienyliron dicarbonyl complexes.

Triphenylmethyl perchlorate is a common substitute for triphenylmethyl hexafluorophosphate. However, the perchlorate is not used as widely, because, like other organic perchloriates, it is potentially explosive. Both triphenylmethyl hexafluorophosphate and triphenylmethyl perchlorate produce similar results and yields in most reactions.

Triarylmethane dyes

Triarylmethane dyes are derivatives are stabilized version of the trityl cation, so much so that they are water-soluble and are often obtained as the chloride salts. These dyes have strong electron donor groups, often amines, at the p-positions of two or three of the aryl groups.

• Triarylmethane dyes
• 

  Crystal violet.

• NewFuchsineStructure.png

  New fuchsine dye.

• Pararosaniline.png

  Pararosaniline

See also

• Triphenylmethyl radical
• Triphenylmethane
• Triphenylmethanol
• Triphenylmethyl chloride