Trichloromethyl
Trichloromethyl is a functional group that has the formula –CCl3. The naming of is group is derived from the methyl group, by replacing each hydrogen atom by a chlorine atom. Compounds with this group are a subclass of the organochlorines. Some notable examples of compounds with this group are trichloromethane H–, 1,1,1-trichloroethane –, and chloral –.
The trichloromethyl group has a significant electronegativity. For this reason, trichloromethyl-substituted acids are often stronger than the original. For example, the acidity constant of trichloroacetic acid – is 0.77, whereas that of acetic acid is 4.76.
By the same principle, the trichloromethyl group generally lowers the basicity of organic compounds.
