Question

The acid that can react with glass is ____________.

Answer 1

Hydrogen fluoride/Hydrofluoric acid :

• Hydrofluoric acid is highly corrosive and cannot be stored in the glass apparatus because it reacts with the silicate of glass and corrode it.
• The reaction of the Hydrofluoric acid with glass can be written as:

$\underset{(\mathrm{Sodium}\mathrm{silicate})}{{\mathrm{Na}}_2{\mathrm{SiO}}_3\left(\mathrm{s}\right)}+\underset{(\mathrm{Hydrogen}\mathrm{fluoride})}{8\mathrm{HF}\left(\mathrm{aq}\right)}\to \underset{(\mathrm{Fluosilic}\mathrm{acid})}{{\mathrm{H}}_2{\mathrm{SiF}}_6\left(\mathrm{aq}\right)}+\underset{(\mathrm{Sodium}\mathrm{fluoride})}{2\mathrm{NaF}\left(\mathrm{aq}\right)}+\underset{\left(\mathrm{Water}\right)}{3{\mathrm{H}}_2\mathrm{O}\left(\mathrm{l}\right)}$

• Due to the corrosive nature of hydrofluoric acid is stored in wax-coated bottles.

Therefore, the acid that can react with glass is Hydrogen fluoride/Hydrofluoric acid $\mathbf{\left(}\mathbf{HF}\mathbf{\right)}$.