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HYDROFLUORIC ACID
BY SABRINA ALAM
PERIOD 5
Major Effects
A favourite amongst mystery-thriller writers and mystery-thriller watchers, hydrofluoric acid is portrayed as a highly corrosive substance that has the ability to dissolve everything-- from bathtubs to bodies, but not plastic. This is true-- HF in the aqueous state does not burn through plastic, but it would attack the silicon oxide in most types of glasses. The mafia is known to dissolve bodies using this method, but it is in actuality, false-- as proven by Mythbusters. However, it should also be noted that the it is indeed possible to dissolve a body, however, it wouldn't have happen in minutes as Walt White in Breaking Bad wants you to believe.
Injury by hydrofluoric acid
Breaking Bad, season 4
LEWIS DOT STRUCTURE OF
HF (aq)
o o
How is it produced?
When the mineral fluorite is concentrated with sulfuric acid at 265°C hydrofluoric acid is born.
HF (aqueous)
Hydrofluoric acid is one of the more corrosive of acids. It is not as potent at hydrochloric acid, and is actually quite weak in its liquid state. It is considered a weak acid, however, due to its weak liquid state. Media likes to portray this acid as a protein (by this I mean corpse) disintegrating fluid to get rid of a body trail.
Covelant bonding
x
o
o
o
There is only one
bond between
hydrogen and
fluorine
♦Acidity: 3.17 (high)
♦Bacisity: 12.3 (low)
♦CAS number: 7664-39-3
♦Density: 1.15 g/mL (for 48% solution)
♦Melting point: 189.6 K (not for aqueous)
♦Boiling point: 292.6 K (not aqueous)
♦Solubility: miscible
♦gram formula mass:
Rainbow fluorite (CaF2)
o o
Hydrogen
Fluorine
What is hydrofluoric used for?
HF is also produced as a byproduct of phosphoric acid, derived from the mineral apatite. According to Wikipedia, "Apatite sources typically contain a few percent of fluoroapatite, acid digestion of which releases gaseous stream consisting of sulfur dioxide, H2O, and HF."
As one of the strongest inorganic acids, hydrofluoric acid is used primarily for industrial purposes. These examples include glass etching, metal cleaning, amongst others. Hydrofluoric acid plays a role in oil refining, being used in a process called alkylation. It is also used for producing organofluorine compounds, with HF being the fluorine source which prepares them. However, it is not limited to this. It can also be found in home rust removers. Due to its ability to dissolve most oxides and silicates, HF is also used for dissolving rock samples prior to analysis.
Blue Apatite Ca10(PO4)6(OH,F,Cl)2
Alkylation process
HF (aq) was discovered in 1771 by Swedish chemist Carl Scheele, who was then investigating the composition for the mineral fluorspar (calcium fluoride). During this time, fluorine was unknown and all elements were thought to contain oxygen. Scheele observed fumes developing when heating fluorspar in sulfuric acid. By leading the fumes to war, he created large quantities of hydrofluoric acid.
This discovery, as well as Scheele's bad habit of tasting and smelling his discoveries, is thought to have contributed to this death at the age of 43.
Carl Scheele
(1742-1786)