Hydrofluoric Acid: An Invisible Fire (1996)

Every time I hear anything about Flourine, I’m reminded of “Sand Won’t Save You This Time” <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;blogs.sciencemag.org&#x2F;pipeline&#x2F;archives&#x2F;2008&#x2F;02&#x2F;26&#x2F;sand_wont_save_you_this_time" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;blogs.sciencemag.org&#x2F;pipeline&#x2F;archives&#x2F;2008&#x2F;02&#x2F;26&#x2F;san...</a><p>I also suggest watching the Periodic Table of Videos episode on Flourine: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;youtu.be&#x2F;vtWp45Eewtw" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;youtu.be&#x2F;vtWp45Eewtw</a>

The story I remember most vividly was the researcher, Dr Karen Wetterhahn, who despite taking great care spilled one or two drops of dimethylmercury on her latex glove. The glove would prove to be no protection at all - tests later showed the dimethylmercury would have seeped through her glove and skin in less than twenty seconds. Karen began displaying the neurological symptons of mercury poisoning some three months later when it was too late to do anything. She was dead within the year.<p>Dimethylmercury and hydrofluoric acid are both mentioned in this list of &quot;10 Ridiculously Dangerous Chemicals&quot;, <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;listverse.com&#x2F;2016&#x2F;12&#x2F;09&#x2F;10-ridiculously-dangerous-chemicals&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;listverse.com&#x2F;2016&#x2F;12&#x2F;09&#x2F;10-ridiculously-dangerous-c...</a>.

HF is extremely scary, the safety precautions taken to work with it at an acid bench really bring this home.<p>I heard a story once of a student putting a bottle into his backpack and cycling across the city to another university building to use it in another lab. The mind boggles at the stupidity.

I want to point out from professional experience that the dangers of HF as stated in this article are not embellished in any way. It is really the stuff of nightmares.<p>Also it&#x27;s pretty insane IMO to put it in a bottle labeled &#x27;rust remover&#x27;. That&#x27;s bound to cause accidents like this with people thinking it&#x27;s just any old stain-away soap.

&quot;Invisible fire&quot; reminded me of something which is almost completely invisible while it burns: methanol<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.youtube.com&#x2F;watch?v=1ZEEuCHdWFA" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.youtube.com&#x2F;watch?v=1ZEEuCHdWFA</a><p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.youtube.com&#x2F;watch?v=Ku7TdLeEGsQ" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.youtube.com&#x2F;watch?v=Ku7TdLeEGsQ</a>

I have always had a huge fear of HF, but as a biologist I rarely had to work with it. The chemical that I did work a lot with that was rather nasty was phenol (carbolic acid). Splash that on you, or worse get it in your eyes, and it hurts. I luckily never got it in my eyes, but I had a few cap-failing eppendoff tubes (being vortexed) end up all over my face. Not nice.<p>The worst horror story I was told about phenol was of a grad student a few years before me doing a large DNA extraction using phenol in a 3 litre measuring cylinder. They filled it with phenol and DNA solution and then sealed the end using parafilm (a stretchy plastic membrane). They then mixed the solution by inverting the cylinder. You won&#x27;t be surprised to learn that phenol dissolves parafilm and the phenol ran straight down the student&#x27;s arm and they ran straight off to hospital.

HF is a scary bond. I think the only other stuff that scares me more is CF3 and FOOF, the first being very very good at burning stuff that normally doesn&#x27;t burn like Asbestos and Sand, the later combusting explosively when coming into contact with Water Ice at 90K.<p>To be honest, Flourine is a scary atom. A lot of the bonds it forms are also scary. And toxic.

There was an explosion at a refinery in Superior Wi last week. The blast and resulting fire was within 200 feet of a tank that can hold 76,000 pounds of hydrogen fluoride (<i>only</i> 15,000 lbs were in the tank at the time).<p>Needless to say, officials are reconsidering the use of Hydrofluoric acid at the facility: <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.duluthnewstribune.com&#x2F;business&#x2F;energy-and-mining&#x2F;4439179-officials-will-examine-future-use-hydrogen-fluoride-superior" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.duluthnewstribune.com&#x2F;business&#x2F;energy-and-mining&#x2F;...</a>

The thing I&#x27;ve always found most interesting about hydrofluoric acid is that it&#x27;s corrosive and poisonous. Other acids like hydrochloric acid and sulfuric acid are corrosive, but they&#x27;re not poisonous like hydrofluoric is. Other common acids will burn you, but that&#x27;s the extent of their damage. Hydrofluoric acid will burn you and absorb into your body, interfering with calcium ions in a way that can lead to death.

This stuff is the active ingredient in glass &quot;etching cream&quot;. Amazingly, many DIY craft videos on YouTube demonstrate it WITHOUT USING GLOVES!

I wonder why they were so worried about radial artery spasm. If it closes off, you still have sufficient collateral circulation via the ulnar artery. This happens not infrequently in procedures where you catheterize the radial artery.

Okay, but what about stannous flouride and sodium fluoride?<p>No one ever discusses the toothpaste fluorine ions, in conjuction with the much more terrifying acid, which is the boogey man that haunts the fears behind fluoridated water, and so on...

As someone who didn&#x27;t apply themselves to Chemistry at school, what is the best way to get a decent understanding of the basics. I love the physics I can understand and would like to know more than nothing about chemistry.