Tetrafluoroboric acid

Synonyms

Borate(1-), tetrafluoro-, hydrogen; Borofluoric acid; Fluoboric acid; Hydrofluoboric acid; Hydrogen tetrafluoroborate; Hydrogen tetrafluoroborate(1-); Fluoroboric acid; [ChemIDplus] UN1775

Category

Acids, Inorganic

Description

Colorless liquid; [ICSC] Pungent odor; [Alfa Aesar MSDS]

Sources/Uses

Used in electroplating baths and in metal cleaning solutions; used in electronics industry to clean lead-tin printed circuits; [HSDB] Also used as a catalyst, to brighten aluminum, as a reagent, and for making stabilized diazo salts; [Merck Index] Used for chemical synthesis and for extraction, refining, and processing of metals; [IUCLID]

Comments

Solutions 30-70% are corrosive to skin; [Quick CPC] High inhalation exposure can cause pulmonary edema; [ICSC] Reacts with water evolving heat; Corrosive to tissue; [CAMEO] Not stored in bone, like the F- ion, because excretion is more rapid than hydrolysis; Causes burns to skin and eye; Inhalation may cause pulmonary edema; [IUCLID] Causes somnolence and ataxia in oral lethal-dose studies of mice and rats; [RTECS] Causes burns; Inhalation may cause corrosive injuries to upper respiratory tract and lungs; [Alfa Aesar MSDS]

Biomedical References

5 mm Hg

Explanatory Notes

VP, Pa at 20 deg C: 665; [ICSC]

will not burn

Yes

Skin burns

Processes

Industrial Processes with risk of exposure:

• Acid and Alkali Cleaning of Metals
• Electroplating
• Metal Extraction and Refining
• Semiconductor Manufacturing