hydrogen fluoride

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hydrogen fluoride

chemical compound

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July 22, 2026

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Hydrogen fluoride (HF) is a colorless, corrosive, fuming compound that becomes hydrofluoric acid when dissolved in water. It is a key chemical compound involving hydrogen and fluorine. Fluorine itself is the most reactive chemical element and is highly electronegative.123

Hydrogen fluoride is produced by distilling fluorspar with concentrated sulfuric acid. The resulting hydrogen fluoride is used to create various inorganic and organic fluorine compounds, including electrolytes for aluminum smelting and chemicals for glass etching and polishing. Hydrofluoric acid, the aqueous solution of hydrogen fluoride, is a weak, poisonous acid that can etch glass.34

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Edmond Frémy
…isolate free fluorine and discovered hydrogen fluoride and a series of its salts. He studied the colouring matters of leaves and flowers and the composition of animal substances. He contributed to the technology of iron, steel, sulfuric acid, glass, paper, and, in particular, the saponification of fats. He sought to…
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…isolate free fluorine and discovered hydrogen fluoride and a series of its salts. He studied the colouring matters of leaves and flowers and the composition of animal substances. He contributed to the technology of iron, steel, sulfuric acid, glass, paper, and, in particular, the saponification of fats. He sought to…
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fluorine
Production and use
Hydrogen fluoride is employed in the preparation of numerous inorganic and organic fluorine compounds of commercial importance—for example, sodium aluminum fluoride (Na₃AlF₆), used as an electrolyte in the electrolytic smelting of aluminum metal. A solution of hydrogen fluoride gas in water is called
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Hydrogen fluoride is employed in the preparation of numerous inorganic and organic fluorine compounds of commercial importance—for example, sodium aluminum fluoride (Na₃AlF₆), used as an electrolyte in the electrolytic smelting of aluminum metal. A solution of hydrogen fluoride gas in water is called
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crystal
Hydrogen bonding
Another hydrogen-bonded solid is hydrogen fluoride (HF), in which the hydrogen atom (proton) links pairs of fluorines.
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Another hydrogen-bonded solid is hydrogen fluoride (HF), in which the hydrogen atom (proton) links pairs of fluorines.
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chemical compound
Trends in the chemical properties of the elements
…and fluorine react to form hydrogen fluoride, which contains HF molecules. The hydrogen and fluorine atoms are bound together by a pair of electrons, one electron contributed by the hydrogen atom and one by the fluorine atom. Although the electrons are shared between the hydrogen and the fluorine atoms, in…
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…and fluorine react to form hydrogen fluoride, which contains HF molecules. The hydrogen and fluorine atoms are bound together by a pair of electrons, one electron contributed by the hydrogen atom and one by the fluorine atom. Although the electrons are shared between the hydrogen and the fluorine atoms, in…
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