I don't believe I've ever been in any hardware store that sold hydrofluoric acid in any concentration. Care to expand on what you meant?
Now - hydrochloric acid or sulfuric acid - both those (and some other relatively nasty chemicals) can be easily purchased at many hardware (and other) stores; the first is commonly known as "muriatic acid" (pool acid), while the second is sold (usually at auto parts stores, but there are some hardware stores that sell it too) for lead-acid battery "replenishment" (if the acid in them becomes too diluted from "topping up" with distilled water over time).
But HF? No - I certainly can't see where that would be allowed to be sold in any concentration to the ordinary public...
In low concentration, it's in various cleaning products, rust removers, that kind of thing. In some places, you can buy glass etching cream which also contains HF.
Dumb question from someone who knows very little chemistry; is it possible for a malicious actor to use some sort of distillation process to take that 1% solution and concentrate it into something much more dangerous?
The fun part in the video is when they neutralized the HF with sodium carbonate to make sodium fluoride which is used in toothpaste. Keeping in mind the concentration again.
Now - hydrochloric acid or sulfuric acid - both those (and some other relatively nasty chemicals) can be easily purchased at many hardware (and other) stores; the first is commonly known as "muriatic acid" (pool acid), while the second is sold (usually at auto parts stores, but there are some hardware stores that sell it too) for lead-acid battery "replenishment" (if the acid in them becomes too diluted from "topping up" with distilled water over time).
But HF? No - I certainly can't see where that would be allowed to be sold in any concentration to the ordinary public...