TFA
Science & Engineering abbreviation · Chemistry
| Stands for | Trifluoroacetic acid |
|---|---|
| Categories | Science & Engineering |
TFA stands for Trifluoroacetic acid, a chemistry abbreviation.
Strong, volatile organic acid, CF3COOH, widely used to remove Boc protecting groups and to cleave peptides from resin in solid-phase synthesis. Low concentrations, typically 0.1%, are added to HPLC mobile phases to sharpen the peaks of peptides and proteins.
Example: The Boc group was removed with 50% TFA in DCM at room temperature.
Usage notes
The three fluorine atoms stabilize its conjugate base, making TFA far stronger than acetic acid, with a pKa near 0.5. It is also a very persistent breakdown product of some refrigerants and pesticides, and its rising levels in rain and surface water have drawn regulatory attention in the PFAS debate.
Related abbreviations
More chemistry abbreviations
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- SDS – Safety data sheet
- SLS – Sodium lauryl sulfate
- SN1 – Unimolecular nucleophilic substitution
- SN2 – Bimolecular nucleophilic substitution
- STP – Standard temperature and pressure
- TGA – Thermogravimetric analysis
- THF – Tetrahydrofuran
- TLC – Thin-layer chromatography
- TMS – Tetramethylsilane
- TNT – Trinitrotoluene
- UV-Vis – Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy