Potassium fluoride is used in organic chemistry as a fluorinating agent to replace other halide ions like chorine, bromine etc. It is used as a catalyst in the manufacture of polyurethanes. Further, it is widely used for etching of glass, in disinfectant formulations and manufacture of optical glass. It is used in metal finishing, batteries, coatings and photographic chemicals. It is utilized for the study of ion-specific swelling and de-swelling of ampholytic polymer gels as well as in the measurement of electronic polarizabilities of ions in polymers of alkali halides. It finds application in the electronic industry as a metal surface treatment product. It is used as a preservative, a food additive, a catalyzer and a water absorbing agent. In the Finkelstein reaction, it is actively involved in the conversion of chlorocarbons to fluorocarbons using polar solvents like dimethyl formamide and ethylene glycol.
