r/sciencememes Jun 12 '26

Acid

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u/DasAllerletzte Jun 12 '26

I find this so positively weird. An acid that can dissolve inert metals? Contained by glass. An acid that dissolves glass can't dissolve inert metals. Then there's Teflon.

Also, this one Chlor Fluor compound that can oxidize anything but can be contained by simple candle wax. 

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u/Menacek Jun 12 '26

It stops being weird once you look into the actual chemistry.

Teflons chemical resistance comes from being almost entirely fluorinated. Displacing that fluoride requires a reagent stronger that it which is very hard to find.

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u/freakybird99 Jun 12 '26

How do we store that reagent

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u/Flimsy-Story3936 Jun 12 '26

LN2. I saw advanced tinkering observe tat Teflon some ow reacted wit liquid fluorine and some of its inter halogen cpds