ABSTRACT
Superalkalis are defined as species having lower IEs than those of alkali metal atoms (5.39–3.89 eV). These species exhibit some unique characteristics. Their applications in the design of unusual compounds such as supersalts and alkalides make them more interesting. In this chapter, we shall discuss the role of superalkalis in the design of superbases, the systems with higher proton affinity than those of strong bases such as typical alkali hydroxides. This idea was first put forward by Srivastava and Misra in 2015 for neutral bases, e.g., superalkali hydroxides and later extended to anionic bases. The chapter highlights some studies made in this direction and also introduces the strongest anionic base designed to date using this concept.
