What is Fluorine?
Fluorine is the first element of the halogen group occupying the 17th column of the periodic table. The fluorine atom has 9 electrons and 9 protons. It is a fairly rare element in the universe, but it is the thirteenth most abundant element in the earth’s crust.
Characteristics and Properties
The most remarkable property of fluorine is that it is the most reactive of all the elements. This is dangerous and difficult to handle. It will react with most other elements. It is also the most electronegative element, which means it attracts electrons towards itself.
Under standard conditions, fluorine forms a gas consisting of two fluorine atoms known as diatomic gas. It is pale green in color with a pungent odor.
Fluorine is toxic to humans and very corrosive. Many reactions to fluoride are sudden and explosive. Fluoride burns all kinds of compounds and elements, including water, copper, gold, and steel.
Highlights of Fluorine:
| Symbol | F |
| Atomic Number | 9 |
| Atomic Weight | 18.998 |
| Classification | Halogen |
| Phase at Room Temperature | Gas |
| Density | 1.696 g/L @ 0°C |
| Melting Point | 219.62°C, -363.32°F |
| Boiling Point | 188.12°C, -306.62°F |
| Discovered by | Henri Moissan in 1886 |
Where is Fluorine found on Earth?
Because it is so reactive, fluorine does not exist as a free element in nature. It is readily found in minerals in the earth’s crust, including fluorspar, floapatite, and criolite. The main commercial source of fluoride is fluorite (also known as fluorite). Much of the world’s fluoride is supplied by China and Mexico.
How is Fluorine used today?
Fluorine is rarely used in its pure form, but many fluorine compounds are used industrially.
One of the most common uses of fluorine is in refrigerant gases. For many years, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) have been used for freezers and air conditioners. Today they are banned because they damage the ozone layer. However, many alternative gases still contain fluorine.
Another application is fluoride. Fluoride is the reduced form of fluorine when bonded with another element. Fluoride is useful in preventing tooth decay and is used in tap water and toothpaste.
Other uses of fluorine include high-temperature plastics such as Teflon, metal and iron smelting production, pharmaceuticals, glass etching, and nuclear fuel processing.
How was Fluorine discovered?
Although other chemists suspected the presence of an unknown element in the compound floric acid, it was the French chemist Henri Moissan who first successfully isolated the element in 1886.
Where did Fluorine get its name?
The name fluorine is derived from the mineral fluorite which comes from the Latin word “fluere” meaning “to flow”. The name was suggested by British chemist Sir Humphry Davy.
Isotopes
Fluorine has a stable isotope, fluorine-19. This is the only form in which fluoride occurs naturally.
Interesting Facts about Fluorine
Hydrofluoric acid is extremely dangerous and can be fatal.
Henri Moissan received the Nobel Prize in 1906 for his discovery.
It is found in the gem topaz.
CFCs were once used as propellants in aerosols.
The bond formed between carbon and fluorine to form a fluorocarbon is the strongest bond in organic chemistry and is very stable.
Cesium is sometimes called the opposite of fluorine because it is a less electronegative element.