• Question: what is the most corrosive substance known to man?

    Asked by 237frah44 to Sandra, Lewis, James, Hummy on 13 Mar 2017.
    • Photo: Lewis Wright

      Lewis Wright answered on 13 Mar 2017:

      Whilst it isn’t an official source, since anyone can post there, Reddit is a good source of information.

      most corrosive acid and base known? from askscience

      Fluoroantimonic acid is made from hydrogen fluoride (HF) with antimony pentafluoride (SbF5). Notice how both have fluorine in them – fluorine is the most readily reactive (or ‘electronegative’) element in the periodic table.

      All I know about this stuff is that if hydrogen fluoride gets onto your skin, it can get into your bones, where it sucks the calcium out of them and basically dissolves you from the inside. Its really nasty stuff, so the acid cocktail you make with it must be BAD!

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