[Jackkelly]

I will be working on a protocol that uses Triflic acid. I have never used this before. I received it in ampules and couldn't find a handling procedure online. Please share your experience with handling triflic acid safely. Specifically: I need to know under what conditions should I open the ampule, how should I store the reminder after getting the amount that I need from the ampule (vessel and condition)

Thank you for the inputs.

[Babcock_Hall]

Hoe much experience do you have handling chemicals in general or acids in particular?

[Enthalpy]

That reminds me of my time as a semiconductor engineer... We routinely used nasty compounds like hydrazine, phosphine, silane, hydrofluoric acid - and no-one had skills for chemistry. One day, a colleague burnt himself slightly with an acid, the others asked me if the bicarbonate on the shelf was still good after years of storage. We had no serious accident, but this was plain luck.

[wildfyr]

Enthalpy, that story scares me.

OP, the main reason it is in an ampule is to avoid getting water in it. You transport the ampule into a glovebox and open it there. If you don't care about it absorbing water from the air then this can be done in a hood. The way to open an ampulse is to score the thin part with a glasser cutter, then gently press until it snaps at that location. Done incorrectly, the ampule can shatter and spray compound around. Also, broken glass can slice your gloves and hands. You can store the remainder it in an airtight shlenk flask under dry N2.

I think triflic acid can be safely neutralized with a base like sodium bicarb and disposed of in your organic waste stream.

If you do not have experience handling strong acids, you should rethink working with triflic acid unless there is an experienced person around. It can give a nasty burn and fumes in air.

[Jackkelly]

I'm fairly comfortable dealing with chemicals associated with some danger. The warnings I got with TFA were a bit overwhelming. I though it would be close to handling SO₃, but I guess I was a bit over exaggerating. None the less, it is one of the strongest acids around, and should not be taking lightly.

So, you think handling it under a hood is sufficient? Also, for storing the reminder, would a septa (plastic or rubber) as a seal be ok?

Thanks for the helpful comments

[Corribus]

So, you think handling it under a hood is sufficient? Also, for storing the reminder, would a septa (plastic or rubber) as a seal be ok?

I would handle it no differently than any other strong mineral acid.
Regarding storage: it depends on what you will use it for. It's very hygroscopic. It will absorb water and depending on what you are doing that may be problematic. If you want to keep it dry, store it under dry nitrogen in glassware designed for that. I wouldn't personally recommend storing with a rubber septum. The rubber may not be designed to withstand acid fumes for long times, and too easy to knock off accidentally, and then you have a nice spill to clean up. Ampules are really designed more single use. Unless you have an immediate need for the leftover, I'd probably just dispose of it.