{Hydrofluoric acid} (Chem.), a colorless, mobile, volatile
liquid, {HF}, very corrosive in its action, and having a
strong, pungent, suffocating odor. It is produced by the
action of sulphuric acid on fluorite, and is usually
collected as a solution in water. It attacks all
silicates, as glass or porcelain, is the agent employed in
etching glass, and is preserved only in vessels of
platinum, lead, caoutchouc, or gutta-percha.