[valeg96 (OP)]

I found in a chinese shop a packet of 25mL Hydrofluoric acid, 7%, sold as "remover for rust stains". Is it legal in the EU, more spec. in Italy? Apparently it's an imported product.

[CliffordK]

It sounds like you are hunting for alternative sources of chemical reagents for use in a home lab. 

I will suggest being careful with whatever you are brewing.  You may be lacking a fume hood, and typical safety equipment in your home lab.  Any chance you could get work at a university chemistry lab?

As far as your rust remover, you may also be concerned about inert ingredients which may not be listed on the package.  For example, one may choose ingredients such as a gel which would hold the solution in place on the metal.

I don't know about the regulations in Italy.  It has been a few years since I've been there, but it seemed like the country wasn't very oriented towards home tinkerers. 

I tried hot galvanizing a metal project a couple of weeks ago with limited success.  Perhaps what I needed was acid etching.  Anyway, you may ask at some glass shops, metal shops, or perhaps metal plating shops for your acid.

[lightarrow]

Is it legal in the EU, more spec. in Italy?

I hope it is: it is commonly sold in the supermarkets!

[valeg96 (OP)]

Well, this is definitely not a chemical i'm interested in. I was just concerned about its legality, as friends (one is a chem professor, the other a geologist) told me it's a really dangerous one, and they feel uncomfortable around it even if they are experienced people.

[lightarrow]

Well, this is definitely not a chemical i'm interested in. I was just concerned about its legality, as friends (one is a chem professor, the other a geologist) told me it's a really dangerous one

Not at those concentrations.

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lightarrow

[valeg96 (OP)]

well yes, but definitely not an "ordinary" acid to handle for experiments.

[CliffordK]

One might ask what percentage is "safe"?  1%?  0.1%?

You're in Italy, right?  There certainly is a difference between wine and grappa.

In many senses, HCl is stronger than HF acid. 
You can buy HCl as a component of muriatic acid for cleaning bricks.
Sulfuric acid is used in most car batteries.  Ever have to pull a car battery?  Motorcycle batteries are often sold with the acid and the battery separate, and you can buy H₂SO₄ at auto supply stores.

I'm not sure I'd mess with anhydrous ammonia much, but some farmers use it as a fertilizer.  You can, however, purchase dilute ammonia in most grocery stores.  Likewise, you can buy dilute sodium hypochlorite (bleach) in your grocery store.  Both the dilute ammonia and bleach are reasonably safe as long as you don't mix the two together.

While I wouldn't drink bleach from the jug, in some places it is recommended to add a small amount of bleach to the drinking water.

[valeg96 (OP)]

About finding dangerous things, there are rumors that in some monthly markets (those in the countryside, selling old stuff, books and tapes) you may find some red glass plates that under the coating show a nice 22-24% uranium glass, dangerous stuff.