Hydrogen Fluoride

Hydrogen fluoride is a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemical_compound" title="Chemical compound" >chemical compound</a> with the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemical_formula" title="Chemical formula" >formula</a>HF. This colorless gas is the principal industrial source of<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluorine" title="Fluorine" >fluorine</a>, often in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aqueous" title="Aqueous" class="mw-redirect" >aqueous</a> form as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrofluoric_acid" title="Hydrofluoric acid" >hydrofluoric acid</a>, and thus is the precursor to many important compounds including pharmaceuticals and polymers (e.g. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teflon" title="Teflon" class="mw-redirect" >Teflon</a>). HF is widely used in the petrochemical industry and is a component of many<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superacid" title="Superacid" >superacids</a>. Hydrogen fluoride boils just below room temperature whereas the other <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen_halide" title="Hydrogen halide" >hydrogen halides</a> condense at much lower temperatures. Unlike the other hydrogen halides, HF is lighter than air and diffuses relatively quickly through porous substances.

Hydrogen fluoride is a highly dangerous gas, forming corrosive and penetrating <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrofluoric_acid" title="Hydrofluoric acid" >hydrofluoric acid</a> upon contact with tissue. The gas can also cause blindness by rapid destruction of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornea" title="Cornea" >corneas</a>.

Upon contact with moisture, including tissue, hydrogen fluoride immediately converts to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrofluoric_acid" title="Hydrofluoric acid" >hydrofluoric acid</a>, which is highly corrosive and toxic, and requires immediate medical attention upon exposure.