What is the correct name for the acid with the formula HF?

• A. Hydrofluoric acid
• B. Hydrogen fluoride acid
• C. Fluorine acid
• D. Fluoric acid

Answer: (A)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Recognize that the compound HF consists of hydrogen (H) and fluorine (F). When naming acids, the name depends on whether the acid is binary (contains hydrogen and one other element) or oxyacid (contains hydrogen, oxygen, and another element). HF is a binary acid because it contains hydrogen and fluorine only.
2. For binary acids, the naming convention is: use the prefix 'hydro-', then the root of the nonmetal element's name, followed by the suffix '-ic', and finally the word 'acid'.
3. Identify the root of the element fluorine, which is 'fluor-'.
4. Combine the parts according to the rule: 'hydro-' + 'fluor-' + '-ic' + ' acid' to form the name 'hydrofluoric acid'.
5. Confirm that this naming matches the standard IUPAC nomenclature for binary acids, making 'hydrofluoric acid' the correct name for HF.