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

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

From Science Daily

The biggest concern is that the refinery continues to use the highly toxic chemical hydrofluoric acid to process fuel, a practice that Schwartz and other activists want to see stopped.

From Los Angeles Times

A dip in hydrofluoric acid dissolved the matrix rock, concentrating the precious microfossils which she then analyzed under the microscope.

From Science Daily

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

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