An artist wishes to etch a design onto a glass surface. Which halogen acid must be used due to its unique reactivity with silicates?
Q1. An artist wishes to etch a design onto a glass surface. Which halogen acid must be used due to its unique reactivity with silicates?
Answer: Hydrofluoric acid
Explanation: HF reacts with silicates in glass to form soluble Na2SiF6 or SiF4; HCl is tempting but cannot break the Si-O bonds.