Inorganic Chemistry, Vol.44, No.26, 9613-9615, 2005
Why are carborane acids so acidic? An electrostatic interpretation of Bronsted acid strengths
Acidity of Bronsted acids is explained in terms of the electrostatic potentials of the corresponding conjugate bases. The electrostatic potential distribution on the zero-flux surface of the strongest isolable carborane anions is seen to provide a good measure of their acidities. Increasing value of the lowest minimum in the electrostatic potential is observed to be a signature of increasing acidity.