Application of hydrofluoric acid

·Background & Overview

    Hydrofluoric acid is an aqueous solution of hydrogen fluoride (HF). Colorless liquid that flows easily. Fumes in the air. It is highly corrosive and can etch glass. Store in lead, wax or plastic containers. Used in the production process of etching glass, pickling copper and stainless steel, metal polishing and fermentation, hydrogen fluoride (hydrofluoric acid) is highly irritating, highly corrosive and highly toxic. The oral lethal dose for humans is 1 mg; the immediate lethal dose for adults is 1.5 g. Contact of hydrofluoric acid with the skin can cause burns. There is no obvious pain at the beginning, but after a few hours, the pain becomes unbearable. Therefore, it is often ignored in the early stage, resulting in local tissue necrosis, the formation of long-term ulcers, and even aseptic osteonecrosis. When the skin and mucous membranes are contaminated with hydrofluoric acid, they should be washed immediately with 5% sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) solution or water. Local injection of 10% calcium gluconate, which reacts with hydrofluoric acid to form calcium fluoride, can prevent tissue necrosis. Magnesium sulfate paste can be applied to the wound surface.

·Application

    Due to its strong corrosive properties, hydrofluoric acid is used more and more in industry and households. For example, hydrofluoric acid is widely used to clean stainless steel (a process known as pickling), etch glass, remove metal oxides, extract metals, and purify quartz. Manufacturers sell hydrofluoric acid in drums or packages. Figure 1 introduces the main uses of hydrofluoric acid compounds. Anhydrous hydrogen fluoride accounts for 60% of the total for the production of refrigerants, including HFCs, HFCs and fluoropolymers.

    The share of other uses is as follows: chemical derivatives, 18% (organic and inorganic fluorine compounds with highly specialized properties, e.g., fabric or fiber treatment agents, boron trifluoride, sulfur hexafluoride and fluorine salts); aluminum manufacturing , 6%; stainless steel pickling, 5%; petroleum alkylation catalyst, 4%; production of uranium chemical reagents, 3%; other uses, 4%. Hydrogen fluoride can also produce other industrially valuable inorganic fluorine compounds, including cryolite, sodium hexafluoroaluminate, and aluminum fluoride. Inorganic fluorine compounds including sodium fluoride and uranium hexafluoride can also be used to produce hydrofluoric acid. Other uses include glass etching or processing (quartz purification), herbicides, removal of oxides from metal surfaces and rare metal purification (mining and drilling operations), semiconductor and electronics industries, fluorescent light bulbs and cleaning fluids.

    In industry, the main use of hydrofluoric acid is the removal of metal oxides, with other uses including household rust and stain removal and car washing. Car cleaning is the area with the highest concentration of applied chemical products. In daily car cleaning, hydrofluoric acid is generally still used, because hydrofluoric acid has a relatively low cost, especially when purchased in large quantities, the cost is lower (the standard procedure for car washing operations is to use 10% to 12% hydrofluoric acid solution and other ingredients in 55 gallons of water for dilution).

    Carbonaceous particle extraction methods can also be improved by using hydrofluoric acid. In the chemical analysis of biosolids and soil samples, it is necessary to separate the samples into their inorganic and organic components. Hydrofluoric acid is used to remove mineral components and sequester biosolids and soil organic matter.

Main reference
[1] Encyclopedia of Hygiene

[2] Summary of hydrofluoric acid and its application in car cleaning industry

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