hydrofluoric acid

American  

noun

1. a colorless, fuming, corrosive liquid, HF, an aqueous solution of hydrogen fluoride, used chiefly for etching glass.

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hydrofluoric acid British  

/ ˌhaɪdrəʊfluːˈɒrɪk /

noun

1. the colourless aqueous solution of hydrogen fluoride: a strong acid that attacks glass

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hydrofluoric acid Scientific  

/ hī′drō-flr′ĭk,-flôr′- /

1. A colorless, fuming, aqueous solution of hydrogen fluoride. It is corrosive and is used to etch or polish glass, to clean certain metals before plating, and to clean masonry. It is very poisonous.

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Etymology

Origin of hydrofluoric acid

First recorded in 1815–25

Example Sentences

“Torrance Refinery had an enormous explosion, and a piece of equipment the size of a bus came within five feet of the hydrofluoric acid, causing a near miss,” Goldsmith said.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 8, 2026

Then the glass was etched away with hydrofluoric acid, leaving behind a hollow layer of white, highly reflective TiO2.

From Science Daily • May 2, 2024

One result is the fluorspar district of southern Illinois, which once produced a majority of the country’s fluorite—used to smelt steel and create hydrofluoric acid.

From Science Magazine • Jun. 1, 2023

The 2018 explosion and subsequent fires at the facility then-owned by Calgary-based Husky Energy in Superior also produced fears of a hydrofluoric acid leak, causing 2,500 people in the city to evacuate.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 26, 2023

Small quantities of hydrochloric acid and hydrofluoric acid are also present.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan