It is used as a steel degreasing agent and a flux. It is used in heat treating salt compositions, tin-electroplating, fluoridation of drinking water, removing HF from exhaust systems to reduce air pollution, and frosting glasses. It has significant applications in organic synthesis including its halide-exchange with acyl chloride, sulfur chlorides, and phosphorus chloride, desilylation of silyl-protected OH groups, synthesis of fluorocarbons (Finkelstein reaction), and also in metallurgy.

This Thermo Scientific Chemicals brand product was originally part of the Alfa Aesar product portfolio. Some documentation and label information may refer to the legacy brand. The original Alfa Aesar product / item code or SKU reference has not changed as a part of the brand transition to Thermo Scientific Chemicals.