Discovery Information
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Who: Henri Moissan |
When: 1886 |
Where: France |
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Name Origin
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Latin: fluo (flow). |
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Sources
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Found in the minerals fluorite and cryolite. |
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Uses
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Combines more readily than any other element. Used in toothpaste as sodium fluoride (NaF) and stannous fluoride (SnF2); also in Teflon.
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Hydrofluoric acid (HF) is used to etch glass in light bulbs and other products. |
Fluorochlorohydrocarbons are used extensively in air conditioning and in refrigeration. Chlorofluorocarbons have been banned
for these applications because they contribute to the ozone hole. Sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) is an extremely inert and nontoxic gas, and a member of a class of compounds that are potent greenhouse gases.
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Notes
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Pure fluorine is a very reactive and corrosive gas, with a pungent odour. Both fluorine and HF must be handled with great
care and any contact with skin and eyes should be strictly avoided. Contact with exposed skin may result in the HF molecule
rapidly migrating through the skin and flesh into the bone where it reacts with calcium permanently damaging the bone, followed by cardiac arrest brought on by sudden chemical changes within the body.
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Even in dark, cool conditions, fluorine reacts explosively with hydrogen. It is so reactive that glass, metals, and even water, as well as other substances, burn with a bright flame in a jet of
fluorine gas.
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The derivation of elemental fluorine from hydrofluoric acid is exceptionally dangerous, killing or blinding several scientists
who attempted early experiments on this halogen. These men came to be referred to as "Fluorine Martyrs."
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