Sodium fluoride is a colorless crystalline solid or white powder, or the solid dissolved in a liquid. It is soluble in water. It is noncombustible. It is corrosive to aluminum. It is used as an insecticide. It is also used to fluorinate water supplies, as a wood preservative, in cleaning compounds, manufacture of glass, and for many other uses. Fluoride compounds have diverse applications in current technologies and science, from oil refining and etching to synthetic organic chemistry and the manufacture of pharmaceuticals.