hydrofluoric acid

American  

noun

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

---

hydrofluoric acid British  

/ ˌhaɪdrəʊfluːˈɒrɪk /

noun

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

---

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.

---

Etymology

Origin of hydrofluoric acid

First recorded in 1815–25

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hydrofluoric acid

As regulators pointed out, the explosion in 2015 did not directly involve hydrofluoric acid but that debris came close to hitting tanks with the chemical inside.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 17, 2024

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

From Science Daily ● Jan. 11, 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

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---