Electrophilic intermediates and their reactions in superacids.

Acid-catalyzed reactions have played a major role in hydrocarbon chemistry involving electron-deficient intermediates such as carbocations, carbodications, onium ions, etc. The pioneering discovery of the use of superacids by George A. Olah, in the early 1960s, to characterize such intermediates under so-called long-lived stable ion conditions led to the understanding of their structures and reactivity patterns much more clearly. Continuing studies in this area in the past 30 years have resulted in a paradigm shift in comprehending the stability and reactivity of electrophilic intermediates in superacid media.