• Question: Whats the strongest acid known to man?

    Asked by tomg44 to Charlie, Eoin, Jemma, Julian, Steve on 21 Mar 2011.
    • Photo: Julian Rayner

      Julian Rayner answered on 17 Mar 2011:

      Hi tomg44. I honestly don’t know, although I have heard of acids strong enough to dissolve glass. Which makes you wonder what they keep them in….

    • Photo: Charlie Ryan

      Charlie Ryan answered on 17 Mar 2011:

      i’d go for something like HF (hydrogen floride), although that’s a guess.
      Just looked it up and it seems HF is pretty bad although H2SO4 seems to be a condenfer as well!

    • Photo: Stephen Moss

      Stephen Moss answered on 17 Mar 2011:

      Hi Tomg44

      The strongest acid known to man is Fluoroantimonic acid.

    • Photo: Eoin Lettice

      Eoin Lettice answered on 17 Mar 2011:

      Hi tom,
      I’m not a chemist, but I’m told that the strongest acids are the “carborane superacids” which are 1 million times stronger than sulphuric acid!

      Eoin

    • Photo: Jemma Ransom

      Jemma Ransom answered on 21 Mar 2011:

      I’m not sure! I guess you would have to ask an industrial chemist. The most powerful acid in the body is hydrochloric acid. It sits in your stomach and has pH of 2.0, but the body has several mechanisms to stop it harming you – cool fact of the day (i hope!)

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