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by Crumb Eye on June 27th, 2005

Crumb Eye

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What is the most corrosive acid?

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Answers. 14 helpful answers below.

  • by maddock on August 27th, 2005

    maddock

    If you mean corrosive to inorganic elements, probably sulfuric acid.

    As far as human flesh goes, there is no question that HF (hydrogen fluoride / hydrofluoric acid) is the most corrosive.

    First, HF causes no painful burns on contact which allows it to seep deeply into human tissue without notice. It may take hours for HF exposure to become apparent.

    The fluoride cation combines with the calcium in bones to dissociate calcium, causing the bones to essentially slowly liquefy. Local skin, muscle and fat necrosis follows soon after.

    Usually local and IV infusions of calcium gluconate are used to stop the reaction but often it is far too late, and the egregious necrosis requires limb amputation.

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  • by kelloyde on April 14th, 2008

    kelloyde

    The corrosive power of an acid is not determined by its strength and so there isn't a very easy way to answer this question, since we have to determine which part of the acid is actually doing the damage. For hydrofluoric acid, the danger to organic compounds is not so much the hydronium ion but actually the very electronegative Fluoride.

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  • by ChemGod on March 10th, 2008

    ChemGod

    Sorry guys, only one of you was ACTUALLY right. H2SO4, Sulfuric Acid is the most corrosive on contact with human flesh. HF is a weak acid, meaning that its equilibrium is shifted only minorly to the product side, meaning very little H+ is produced, whereas the diprotic acid H2SO4 is a strong acid, meaning it goes to completion, when speaking of dissociation into the hydrogen ions and sulfate ion. And no, this isnt just because of the fact that it is diprotic; phosphoric acid, H3PO4, is triprotic but still isnt as corrosive. HF compared to ANY strong acid isnt even a comparison. It is the only halogen acid that isnt a strong acid...HI>HBr>HCl

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  • by Anonymous on October 19th, 2007

    Anonymous

    HF is a good choice when considering the body, but the most corrosive acid is most probably "magic acid" which is a mixture of HFSO3 and SbF5. Though there is no scale for corrision, the common scale for superacid strength, Hammett(Ho) list magic acid between -17 and -27. Compared to conc. sulfuric acid which is taken as -12.1.

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  • by Pointeman1 on June 28th, 2005

    Pointeman1

    "Perchloric acid has the formula HClO4 and is a colorless liquid soluble in water. It is a strong (Any of various water-soluble compounds having a sour taste and capable of turning litmus red and reacting with a base to form a salt) acid like (Click link for more info and facts about sulfuric) sulfuric or (Acid used especially in the production of fertilizers and explosives and rocket fuels) nitric acid. M.p.-17°C, B.p.181°C, r.d.1.664. It is a superacid, but it is not the stongest Brønsted-Lowrey acid (which is fluorosulfuric acid)."

    This was taken verbatum from the website Mr. Cox mentioned.

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  • by Clark Cox on June 27th, 2005

    Clark Cox

    Perchloric Acid is currently the strongest known acid.

    http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/encyclopedia/P/Pe/Perchloric_acid.htm

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  • by Pointeman1 on June 27th, 2005

    Pointeman1

    Sulphuric Acid

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  • by Twinkie on January 11th, 2009

    Twinkie

    There is a big difference between strongest which is measured by the protons given off, and the most corrosive. Corrosiveness is related to the negatively-charged part of the acid. Hydrofluoric acid (HF), for example, is so corrosive it dissolves glass. However when looking at the technical term for strongest acid, carborane superacids are hundreds of times stronger than fluorosulfuric acid and over a million times stronger than concentrated sulfuric acid. Also maddock, the way you worded that scares me.

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  • by The Watchful One on September 25th, 2008

    The Watchful One

    Out of all the acids of the entire world, carborane superacids are the strongest and the most gentle. But carborane acids are very new and I dont think anyone will be able to get their hands on it right now, even if they have a license. It is very hard to make, also. But you want a very strong acid that you can get your hands on, fluorosulfuric acid is what you'll want. It was the strongest acid in the world until carborane superacids came into existence. Fluorosulfuric acid is a thousand times stronger than sulfuric acid. So if you really want it, look in your yellowbook under chemistry, you should find it. Good luck :]

    Carborane Acids: http://www.newsroom.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/display.cgi?id=926

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  • by Anonymous on June 11th, 2008

    Anonymous

    according to industry, when using a steal reactor, especially a sealed one, hydrochloric acid is more corrosive the sulfuric acid because of the HCl gas that is giving off. There for it would seem as though HCl is more corrosive the sulfuric acid.

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  • by Pointeman1 on June 27th, 2005

    Pointeman1

    After reading the additional answer, I did a little research and no one source lists one specific acid as the most corrosive but Hydrofluoric Acid is by far the best candidate if you're seeking the most corrosive. It is so corrosive it can eat through glass.

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  • by Jay_D6761 on February 3rd, 2011

    Jay_D6761

    HF!!!!
    "maddock" is Correct!!!!!
    No Doubt-Hydrogen fluoride is the most corrosive acid known to the humans!!

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  • by Billy_A4249 on May 26th, 2011

    Billy_A4249

    H2SO4 is the most damaging to flesh and bone. It will dissolve an entire body.
    Aqua regia(75%hcl and 25% nitric) will completly digest metal.

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  • by Nicholas_F273 on January 22nd, 2011

    Nicholas_F273

    Fluoroantimonic acid

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