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

See Examples For:

hydrofluoric acid

The Torrance Refinery uses modified hydrofluoric acid, or MHF, which the refinery considers to be a safer alternative to HF, though the claim is disputed by advocates.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 8, 2026

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

As the refinery prepares to restart, Cenovus implemented safety upgrades to the hydrofluoric acid unit, said Doreen Cole, the company’s senior vice president of downstream manufacturing.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 26, 2023

Seaborg’s microchemists used hydrofluoric acid to reduce a solution made from the bombardment products and watched a minuscule quantity of pinkish material precipitate out: this was pure plutonium-239.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik