Sodium trichloroacetate

Sodium trichloroacetate is a chemical compound with a formula of CCl₃CO₂Na. It is used to increase sensitivity and precision during transcript mapping.^[1] It was previously used as an herbicide starting in the 1950s but regulators removed it from the market in the late 1980s and early 1990s.^[2][3][4][5]

Sodium trichloroacetate

Names
Preferred IUPAC name Sodium trichloroacetate
Identifiers
CAS Number	650-51-1
3D model (JSmol)	Interactive image
ChemSpider	12073
ECHA InfoCard	100.010.437
EC Number	211-479-2
PubChem CID	23681045
RTECS number	AJ9100000
UNII	2N76A3BRJ0
CompTox Dashboard (EPA)	DTXSID6034924
InChI Key: SAQSTQBVENFSKT-UHFFFAOYSA-M InChI=1S/C2HCl3O2.Na/c3-2(4,5)1(6)7;/h(H,6,7);/q;+1/p-1
SMILES C(C(=O)[O-])(Cl)(Cl)Cl.[Na+]
Properties
Chemical formula	C2Cl3NaO2
Molar mass	185.36 g·mol−1
Appearance	White powder
Density	~1.5 g/mL−1
Melting point	200 °C (392 °F; 473 K)
Boiling point	Decomposes
Solubility in water	55 g / 100 ml
Solubility	Soluble in methanol and ethanol, slightly soluble in acetone, not soluble in ethers and hydrocarbons
Acidity (pKa)	0.7 (conjugate acid)
Hazards
Occupational safety and health (OHS/OSH):
Main hazards	Corrosive
GHS labelling:
Pictograms
Signal word	Warning
Hazard statements	H335, H410
Precautionary statements	P261, P271, P273, P304+P340, P312, P391, P403+P233, P405, P501
NFPA 704 (fire diamond)	3 1 1
Flash point	Non-flammable
Autoignition temperature	Non-flammable
Related compounds
Other anions	Sodium trifluoroacetate
Other cations	Trichloroacetic acid
Related compounds	Sodium chloroacetate Sodium acetate
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa). Infobox references

Preparation

Sodium trichloroacetate is made by reaction trichloroacetic acid with sodium hydroxide:

CCl₃CO₂H + NaOH → CCl₃CO₂Na + H₂O

Reactions

Basicity

Sodium trichloroacetate is a weaker base than sodium acetate because of the electron-withdrawing nature of the trichloromethyl group. Sodium trifluoroacetate is likewise a weaker base. However, it can easily be protonated in the presence of suitably strong acids:

CCl₃CO−2 + H₂SO₄ → CCl₃CO₂H + HSO−4

Trichloromethyl-anion precursor

This reagent is useful for introducing the trichloromethyl group into other molecules. Decarboxylation produces the trichloromethyl anion, which is a sufficiently strong nucleophile to attack various carbonyl functional groups, such as aldehydes, carboxylic acid anhydrides,^[6] ketones (making a precursor for the Jocic–Reeve reaction), and acyl halides.

See also

• Trichloroacetic acid
• Sodium trifluoroacetate
• Sodium chloroacetate