Trifluoromethane sulfonic acid

CAS 1493-13-6

Chemical structure of Trifluoromethane sulfonic acid, from PubChem compound 62406
Structure from PubChem CID 62406 (National Library of Medicine, public domain). A depiction of one compound: where a listing covers a family, or a substance has no single structure, this page shows none.

Trifluoromethanesulfonic acid is a catalyst used in producing other food ingredients. It is one of the strongest acids in ordinary industrial use.

Where it is and isn’t permitted

Status of Trifluoromethane sulfonic acid by jurisdiction. Every jurisdiction this site covers is listed, including those where the substance does not appear.
JurisdictionStatusScope and limitsCitation
Australia and New ZealandFood Standards Australia New ZealandNo listed food uses foundThis site has not matched this substance to any food use on this jurisdiction’s list of authorised food additives. A food additive may be used only in foods that list names. Flavourings, enzymes, processing aids and added nutrients are regulated separately and do not appear on it.
CanadaHealth CanadaNo listing matchedHealth Canada’s lists name additives without E or INS numbers, so this site matches them by exact name. A substance listed there under a name this site does not recognise has no row here.
European UnionEuropean Commission / EFSANo listed food uses foundThis site has not matched this substance to any food use on this jurisdiction’s list of authorised food additives. A food additive may be used only in foods that list names. Flavourings, enzymes, processing aids and added nutrients are regulated separately and do not appear on it.
Great BritainFood Standards Agency / Food Standards ScotlandNo listed food uses foundThis site has not matched this substance to any food use on this jurisdiction’s list of authorised food additives. A food additive may be used only in foods that list names. Flavourings, enzymes, processing aids and added nutrients are regulated separately and do not appear on it.
JapanConsumer Affairs AgencyNo listing matchedThis site imports only Japan’s list of designated additives (Appended Table 1 to the Regulations for Enforcement of the Food Sanitation Act), matched by English name. Existing additives, natural flavouring agents and ordinary foods used as additives are permitted outside that list and are not imported, so an empty row does not show that Japan does not permit the substance.
South KoreaMinistry of Food and Drug SafetyNo listing matchedThis site imports Part III of South Korea’s Standards and Specifications for Food Additives, matched by CAS number, then INS number, then exact name. Mixed preparations and sanitisers are not imported, and an entry whose identifiers disagreed with a page’s is held for review, so an empty row does not show that South Korea does not permit the substance.
United StatesFood and Drug AdministrationPermitted, with conditions21 CFR 173.395retrieved 2026-10-17
Codex AlimentariusCodex Alimentarius Commission / JECFANot listedDoes not appear on this jurisdiction’s permitted list. That is not the same as being prohibited.

How much is permitted

A listing usually limits the quantity as well as the food. Only one of the forms that takes is a figure: quantum satis and good manufacturing practice permit the amount the technological effect requires and no more, which is a limit rather than the absence of one. Figures below are the range across every food category this page is listed in, and categories differ between regulators — see how much is permitted.

United States—1 no quantity stated

No regulator sets a figure for Trifluoromethane sulfonic acid. That is not an absence of control: where the listing says quantum satis or good manufacturing practice, the quantity is limited to what the effect requires.

What it is made from

Produced by chemical synthesis. It is used catalytically and removed rather than remaining in food.

  • Vegan
  • Vegetarian

Compare other additives on the dietary indexes.

CAS registry number
1493-13-6
InChIKey
ITMCEJHCFYSIIV-UHFFFAOYSA-N
PubChem
CID 62406

Every name it appears under

52 recorded names. A label may use any of them.

CAS registry number

  • 1493-13-6

As it appears in regulation

  • Trifluoromethane sulfonic acid

Other names

  • 1,1,1-trifluoromethanesulfonic acid
  • acide triflique
  • acide trifluoromethanesulfonique
  • AgOTf cpd
  • CHF3O3S
  • Cu(OTf)2
  • Eu(OTf)3
  • Fluorad FC 24
  • HOTf
  • In(OTf)3
  • Methanesulfonic acid, 1,1,1-trifluoro-
  • METHANESULFONIC ACID, TRIFLUORO-
  • Methanesulfonic acid, trifluoro- (6CI,7CI,8CI,9CI)
  • perfluoromethane sulfonate
  • Perfluoromethanesulfonic acid
  • Perfluoromethanesulfonic acid 50 microg/mL in Methanol:Water
  • tfmsa
  • TFMSA cpd
  • TfOH
  • TFS
  • Trifiuoromethanesulfonic acid
  • Triflic acid
  • triflicacid
  • triflouromethanesulphonic acid
  • trifluormethane sulfonic acid
  • trifluormethanesulfonic acid
  • trifluormethanesulphonic acid
  • Trifluormethansulfonsaeure
  • trifluoro-methane sulfonic acid
  • trifluoro-methanesulfonic acid
  • trifluoro-methanesulphonic acid
  • trifluoromethan sulphonic acid
  • Trifluoromethane sulfonic acid
  • trifluoromethane sulphonic acid
  • trifluoromethane-sulfonic acid
  • Trifluoromethanesulfonic acid
  • Trifluoromethanesulfonic acid pound TFMSA pound(c)
  • Trifluoromethanesulfonic acid, purum, >=98.0% (T)
  • Trifluoromethanesulfonic acid, reagent grade, 98%
  • Trifluoromethanesulfonic acid, ReagentPlus(R), >=99%
  • Trifluoromethanesulphonic acid
  • Trifluoromethanesulphonic acid, 99%
  • trifluoromethanesulphoriic acid
  • trifluoromethansulfonic acid
  • trifluoromethyl sulfonic acid
  • trifluoromethyl sulphonic acid
  • trifluoromethyl-sulfonic acid
  • Trifluoromethylsulfonic acid
  • Trifluoromethysulfonic acid
  • Trimsylate

Hazard reference values

No reference value for this substance in the sources we hold.

Evidence and how bodies read it

Studies, and the differing conclusions regulators drew from them, are curated rather than machine-read, and none has been written for this substance yet.

Common questions

Assembled from what is above, in the words the questions are usually asked in. Each answer is the same statement the relevant section makes, with the same citations behind it.

What is Trifluoromethane sulfonic acid?
Trifluoromethanesulfonic acid is a catalyst used in producing other food ingredients. It is one of the strongest acids in ordinary industrial use.
Is Trifluoromethane sulfonic acid banned in Europe?
No. Trifluoromethane sulfonic acid does not appear on the EU's list of authorised food additives, which is not the same as being banned: the EU permits an additive only where it has authorised it, and usually the reason for an absence is that no one applied. The EU has made no finding against this substance. It does mean it may not be used as a food additive in the EU today.
Where is Trifluoromethane sulfonic acid permitted?
Of the seven regulators this site reads, the US permits it. Each permission is for named foods at named levels, not a blanket one; the table on this page gives them with citations.
Is Trifluoromethane sulfonic acid vegan?
Yes. Trifluoromethane sulfonic acid is not derived from animals, and is suitable for vegetarians. This page says what it is made from and how.

Sources for this page

  • ecfr retrieved 2026-10-17

Full licence terms and publisher details on Sources. How this page is built and updated: Method.

Machine-readable: a JSON record of this additive is given on request —how to ask for access.

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