Stumped
7 posts |
#29446 2007-12-19 12:02 GMT |
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i have been told to take some sodium flouride tablets for my teeth by a dentists, but isnt sodium flouride a really dangerous toxic acidic chemical that can damage ceramics and glass and stuff?
whats the difference between the tablets i take and normal sodium flouride that is used to etch glass? |
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Pshycadelic
6 posts |
#29447 2007-12-19 12:18 GMT |
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Flouride tablets strengthen the enamel. Hydroflouric acid etches glass.
Its like comparing sodium chloride to hydrochloric acid. Both are salts of strong acids, but bear little other resemblence to their parents. |
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MardyMarsupial
6 posts |
#29448 2007-12-20 06:30 GMT |
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I would think that the sodium fluoride would be needed to be mixed with another acid (sulphuric?) to release the hydrofluoric acid. Sodium fluoride will not do you harm in small quantities: After all common salt (sodium chloride) is ok in small quantities but chlorine from which it is derived will kill (see World war 1) and hydrochloric acid can be made in the lab from salt and sulphuric acid is not nice if the concentration is high. (The HCl in your stomach will be up to 2 molar but the lining has developed to cope with that. And as an ex chem. teacher watch the spelling of flUORine : not flour!!, wish I had a fiver for every time I've corrected that one!
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Moonguide
7 posts |
#29449 2007-12-20 11:26 GMT |
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OK, let's clear up a few misconceptions.
1. HF is NOT a strong acid like HCl. In aqueous solution HF is a very WEAK acid. Only anhydrous HF can be considered strong. 2. NaF dissolved in water forms HF and NaOH 3. Even quite dilute solutions of HF can etch glass if left in contact for long enough. This is because HF reacts with the silicon in the glass to form a soluble fluoirde complex. 4. Fluoride toothpastes contain around 1250 ppm F-, and at this level fluoride is perfectly safe. take your tablets and improve your dentition. |
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GuitarsRock
5 posts |
#29450 2007-12-21 12:11 GMT |
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Avoid drinking concentrated sulphuric acid while the tablet is in your mouth and you will have no problems with etched teeth.
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