[skyjumper]

While going through some of the chemicals (downsizing) in the chemistry department at my school I noticed some fluorosilicic acid. This stuff scares most of the other teachers, as it puts off HF gas. I want to know if there is anything I could make with this acid (about 2 pints worth, its old old stuff, in a teflon bottle). I was thinking of reacting it with sodium Hydroxide to get some sodium fluorosilicate but there has to be some other, more useful compound. Any ideas? We have a large supply of reagent, or the supplies to make them.

I was thinking if there was a way to take out the silicate and end up with sodium flouride, which may be of use. I really don't see a use for this acid, or the sodium fluorsilicate for that matter but due to the aging quality of the bottle and such, we really don't want to have it sitting back there for another 20 years.

Short: fluorosilicic acid. give me something to do with it.

[skyjumper]

Right, just going to react with sodium hydroxide for now. Will isolate product for further use.

[stewie griffin]

Save it for when you feel like deprotecting some silyl groups under acidic conditions 

[skyjumper]

The container is in real rough shape sadly, so that isn't an option. If I react it with sodium hydroxide in an excessively basic condition it should give me some NaF per the following:
Na2SiF6 + 4 NaOH → 6 NaF + SiO2 + 2 H2O,
The SiO2 can be easily filtered off, and then the water heated off to give me pure NaF, correct? and it shouldn't decompose under boiling down the solution so I should be able to just boil off the solution. Only thing is I would need some way of neutralizing the excess base, that forms a precipitate I can filter off with the silicon dioxide.