What is Hydrofluoric Acid?

Hydrofluoric acid (HF) is a popular aqueous solution prepared from the hydrogen fluoride and other popular name for this chemical substance is fluoric acid. It is written as HF in chemistry and its molecular mass is approximately 20.01 g/mol. It is also available in the gaseous form and usually mixed with the water. The structure for the diatomic molecule is given as below –

Hydrofluoric Acid Chemical Formula

It is polarized in nature because of electronegative behavior of the fluoride and it allows H+ ions to get dissociated quickly. It is used for industries frequently and prepared by reacting the fluorite with concentrated sulfuric acid at a very high temperature approx. 265 degree Celsius. The reaction is given as below –

CaF2 + H2SO4 → 2 HF + CaSO4

Hydrofluoric Acid Molecular

This is the way how can we prepared the acid in different concentration. It is colorless in nature and available with a density of 1.15 g/L at room temperature. It is transparent and its concentration generally depends on the nature of the aqueous solution i.e. HF.

If we look at the chemical properties then it is quite stronger, reactive, and corrosive in nature. It quickly reacts with bases, acids, or oxidants etc. it is best known worldwide for its corrosive nature and dissolves easily. Keep in mind that it should be stored in plastic containers mostly. It can be used for plenty of purposes like cleaning, removing rust, semiconductor industries, glass etching etc. This is highly corrosive in nature, so it should be used with caution.