In "Real Life" someone mentions that hydrofluoric acid is not considered a "strong acid" for some reason even though it is highly corrosive. As an interesting note, hydrofluoric acid is indeed a weak acid. Strong and weak refer to the level of ionization an acid undergoes in water, not pH or acidity, where strong means completely separates into ions and weak means it does not. Fluorine is so electronegative that HF is too polar for water to dissolve efficiently. Which makes hydrofluoric acid unique for both being a highly corrosive weak acid, but also the only weak acid in the family to which it belongs, which includes hydrochloric and hydroiodic acid, both of which are well known for being very strong acids.
Uncle Sumer Sez
nasty and plausible case in the (live action) movie Cube Zero — possibly hydrofluoric acid - or some acid combined with (deeply penetrating) DMSO [likely has its own entry here] — the scene's thirst-parched maze-victim is shown thinking he'd been sprayed with mere water (by a "defective" trap) — but then proceeds to dissolve in a gradually accellerated way, as the realization becomes a self-flaying body-horror deathscene of highest octane nightmare fuel, indeed!
The uric acid med commercial seems to follow a convention seen in diaper and feminine protection ads: There are appropriate colors to indicate bodily fluids. Blue seems to be the most common and "safe" choice for depicting bodily fluids, while the obvious choices are either nauseating or shocking. Green is a "chemical" sort of color, so I'd guess why that was chosen.
The logo for that drug, on the other hand, depicts a triangle of yellow spots turning to white spots, so it conveys the intent of the drug slightly more faithfully.
I'm admittedly a nerd, but here's some fun facts about acid: The pH scale spans from about 0 to 14. Most laymen assume that "0" would be "safe" and "14" would be "dangerous." Actually, regular water falls smack in the middle with a pH of about 7. Among the strongest acids are 'hydrochloric acid,' which is actually stomach acid. It's corrosive nature is the reason acid reflux causes damage to the asauphagus. Also, a lot of common liquids like lemon juice and vinegar are actually acidic. That's why citrus wears at tooth enamel.
Linking to a past Trope Repair Shop thread that dealt with this page: Chainsaw the description?
, started by Shale on Nov 2nd 2010 at 10:59:05 PM
"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman