HF Physical Properties
HF Physical Properties
Solvay
Special Chemicals
Introduction
Hydrogen Fluoride
Hydrogen fluoride (HF) is manufactured by Solvay in Bad Wimpfen
(Germany), Ciudad Jurez (Mexico), Quzhou (Lansol JV in China) and Porto
Marghera (Italy). Besides calcium fluoride (CaF2), also known as fluorspar,
which Solvay sources in part from its own mines in places such as Okorusu
(Namibia) and Chiprovtsi (Bulgaria), sulfuric acid and oleum are also used
as raw materials. In a rotary kiln the mixture of calcium fluoride and sulfuric acid/oleum is heated, forming hydrogen fluoride and calcium sulfate
(CaSO4). The gaseous hydrogen fluoride then has to undergo several purification steps to obtain technical grade HF (approx. 99.9%). The CaSO4
(anhydrite) thus produced is used in the building materials industry and
has further applications in screed mixtures. The stored technical-grade HF
is used for the production of fluorine-containing materials, or is dissolved
in water to obtain hydrofluoric acid. Hydrofluoric acid can also be further
purified for use in the semiconductor industry.
Most of the anhydrous hydrogen fluoride (AHF) is used in the production
of fluorinated carbon compounds, the so-called HCFCs and HFCs. These
materials are essential coolants, foam blowing agents, fire-extinguishing
agents, solvents and raw materials for the production of fluorinated monomers for the plastics industry. Some additional major uses of AHF in organic chemistry are in Balz-Schiemann reactions, alkylation reactions in the
petrochemical industry, reactions with SF4 in AHF to produce CF3 or CF2H
functional groups, and electrofluorination reactions.
Anhydrous hydrogen fluoride is highly soluble in water. The resulting
hydrofluoric acid is transported in drums, tank trucks and rubber-lined railway tank cars. Hydrofluoric acid is used to clean casst metal, copper and
brass. It removes efflorescence from bricks, stones and sand particles from
metal castings. Frosted products, such as electric light bulbs, and
other etched glass, e.g. polished crystal glass, and enamels are well-known.
Purified e-grade hydrofluoric acid is required particularly for etching silicon in the photovoltaic and semiconductor industries. The manufacture of
metal fluorides by fluoride precipitation reactions between HF and metal
oxides, hydroxides or carbonates is of major importance for Solvay Fluor.
Cover photo:
Solvay Special Chemicals Mexico S.A. de C.V. Plant in Ciudad Jurez, Mexico
Contents
Physical Properties of
anhydrous hydrogen
fluoride
20.006
Molecular Weight
Saturated vapor, at boiling point a)
Saturated vapor, at 100 C a)
78.24
49.08
19.51
83.37
Density
Liquid, at 25 C [kg/m3] a)
Vapor, saturated, at 25 C [kg/m3] a)
957.6
3.553
0.83
1.205
1.23
Heat of vaporization
Boiling point, at 1,013 mbar [kJ/kg] a)
374.5
196.9
2.32
1.46
272
272
0.029
174
188
64.9
290
0.26
8.6
1.1574
2.13
Conductivity at 0 C [S / cm] a)
<1.6
Dielectric constant, at 0 C a)
83.6
1.83
0.9835
23.53
Physical properties of
aqueous 50% and
70% hydrogen fluoride
at 20 C
50 wt %
HF
70 wt %
HF
1.17
1.23
16.53
157.33
3.97
0.13
234
456
35
86
105
66
120
248
110
230
100
212
90
194
80
176
70
158
60
140
50
122
40
104
30
86
Vapor
Liquid
20
68
10
50
32
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Vapor liquid
equilibrium diagram at
the normal boiling point c)
HF Concentration [wt.%]
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
Vapor
30
Liquid
20
10
0
20
40
60
80
HF Concentration [wt.%]
Temperature [F]
Temperature [C]
Freezing point of
aqueous solutions of
hydrogen fluoride d)
Temperature [K]
270
H2O HF
250
230
210
H2O 2HF
190
H2O 4HF
170
150
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
1.25
78
1.15
72
1.05
66
0.95
59
0C
20C
40C
60C
0.85
53
47
0.75
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
HF Concentration [wt.%]
Density [b/ft3]
Density of aqueous
hydrogen fluoride a)
Density [g/cm3]
HF Concentration [mole%]
Partial pressure of
hydrogen fluoride over
HF H2O solution a)
174
12,000
100C
80C
60C
40C
20C
0C
10,000
8,000
145
116
6,000
87
4,000
58
2,000
29
0
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
0
100
17
1,200
100C
80C
60C
40C
20C
1,000
800
15
12
600
400
200
0
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
0
100
HF Concentration [wt.%]
HF Concentration [wt.%]
1,000
0.95
900
0.85
800
0.76
700
0.66
600
0.57
500
0.47
400
0.38
300
0.28
200
0.19
100
0.09
0
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
0
100
Specific conductivity
of HF-H2O solutions,
at 0 C a)
Conductivity [S/cm]
HF Concentration [wt.%]
0.8
0.7
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
70
75
80
85
90
95
100
HF Concentration [wt%]
Heat of dilution of
aqueous HF solutions a)
Heat capacity of
anhydrous hydrogen
fluoride e)
Cp [kJ/kg K]
10
3.0
Melting point 189,79K
2.5
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.5
0
0
100
50
150
200
250
300
Temperature [K]
1.0
0.9
0.8
0.7
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
HF Concentration [wt.%]
68
20
Pure HF
Commercial HF
10
50
32
10
14
20
30
22
40
40
50
58
60
76
70
0E+00
2E-07
4E-07
6E-07
8E-07
11
Temperature [F]
Viscosity of hydrogen
fluoride with differences
in purity g)
Temperature [C]
94
1E-06
Viskosity [m2/s]
Bibliography
In addition to physical properties data, Solvay Fluorides, LLC is pleased to offer supporting documentation and reference literature including, but not limited to:
n First Aid and Medical Treatment for Hydrofluoric Acid Exposure tri-fold poster
n Summary of First Aid Procedures for Hydrofluoric Acid Exposure wallet cards
n Making it Safe for Hydrofluoric Acid safety training video
n Making it Safe for Hydrofluoric Acid Drum Handling safety training video
n Making it safe for Anhydrous Hydrofluoric Acid safety training video
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user is not exempt from observing all legal, administrative and regulatory procedures relating to the product, personal
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