{"id":137,"date":"2020-04-09T09:27:26","date_gmt":"2020-04-09T09:27:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thechemicalelements.com\/?page_id=137"},"modified":"2023-08-16T08:33:00","modified_gmt":"2023-08-16T08:33:00","slug":"fluorine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thechemicalelements.com\/fluorine\/","title":{"rendered":"Fluorine (F)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Fluorine (F) is a chemical element with an atomic number of 9 in the periodic table of elements. It’s the 13th most abundant element found in Earth\u2019s crust with a concentration of 950 ppm in the upper layers. This univalent poisonous gaseous halogen<\/a> element of the periodic table forms a vast number of compounds with the other chemical elements, even with the noble gases<\/a> krypton<\/a>, xenon<\/a>, and radon<\/a>. Fluorides, as the most common fluorine compounds, find especially important use in dental medicine.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Chemical and Physical Properties of Fluorine<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Property<\/strong><\/td>Value<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Symbol<\/td>F<\/td><\/tr>
Name<\/td>Fluorine<\/td><\/tr>
Atomic number<\/td>9<\/td><\/tr>
Atomic weight<\/td>18.9984032 g.mol-1<\/td><\/tr>
Group<\/td>Halogen<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
Period<\/td>4<\/td><\/tr>
Color<\/td>A yellowish-green substance with an intensive odor<\/td><\/tr>
Physical state<\/td>Gaseous at room temperature<\/td><\/tr>
Crystal Structure<\/td>Cubic<\/td><\/tr>
Electronegativity<\/td>3.98<\/td><\/tr>
Density<\/td>0.001696 g\/cm\u00b3<\/td><\/tr>
Melting point<\/td>53.53\u00b0C<\/td><\/tr>
Boiling point<\/td>85.01\u00b0C<\/td><\/tr>
Ionic radius<\/td>1.33 (-1) \u00c5<\/td><\/tr>
Covalent Radius<\/td>0.72 \u00c5<\/td><\/tr>
Atomic Radius<\/td>0.57 \u00c5<\/td><\/tr>
Atomic Volume<\/td>12.6 cm\u00b3\/mol<\/td><\/tr>
Isotopes<\/td>17<\/td><\/tr>
Most characteristic isotope<\/td>19F<\/td><\/tr>
Electronic shell<\/td>[He] 2s2 2p5<\/td><\/tr>
Valence<\/td>1<\/td><\/tr>
The energy of the first ionization<\/td>1680.6 kJ.mol-1<\/td><\/tr>
Discoverer<\/td>Henri Moissan<\/td><\/tr>
Year<\/td>1886<\/td><\/tr>
Location<\/td>France<\/td><\/tr>
Pronunciation<\/td>FLU-eh-reen<\/td><\/tr>
Oxydation States<\/td>-1<\/td><\/tr>
Uses<\/td>Used in refrigerants and other fluorocarbons. Also in toothpaste as sodium fluoride (NaF) and stannous fluoride (SnF2); also in Teflon.<\/td><\/tr>
Description<\/td>Colorless, odorless, tasteless inert gas. Fourth most abundant element in the universe and fifth most abundant in the earth’s atmosphere (18.18 ppm).<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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With the periodic table symbol (F), atomic number 9, atomic mass of 18.998403 g.mol-1, and electron configuration [He] 2s22p5, fluorine is the lightest halogen and most reactive of all elements in the periodic table. This very pale yellow-green corrosive gas with a strong, pungent odor reaches its boiling point at -188\u00b0C, while the melting point is achieved at -219.6\u00b0C. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having an electronegativity of 3.98 according to Pauling and one valence electron, fluorine is the most electronegative element of the periodic table. The free fluorine element exists as an F<\/span>–<\/span> ion due to the fact that one fluorine atom requires only one electron in order to achieve stability of the electron configuration. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s this one atom of fluorine that determines the chemical properties of an entire molecule. In comparison, \u043exygen and chlorine are similarly electronegative elements<\/span>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How Was Fluorine Discovered?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Back through the centuries, in the early 1500s, the German scholar Georgius Agricola (1494 – 1555) came across a mineral in his scientific research that he labeled as fluorspar. According to his findings, when the mineral was added to the molten metallic ores, they became more liquid and easier to handle. Little did he know at that time that the substance in his hands was fluorine containing calcium<\/a> fluoride (CaF2).<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the 1800s, many great chemists and scientific researchers, such as Scheele, Davy, Lavoisier, and Gay-Lussacmany, have performed a series of experiments with hydrogen fluoride gas with no tangible results. Also, some of the scientists that had to work with hydrofluoric acid sooner or later had faced fatal consequences upon their lives. In some of the cases, exposure of only a few hundred milliliters of the hydrogen fluoride and water solution proved to be extremely dangerous. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Toll of the Violently Reactive Gas<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Namely, when this acid would come into skin contact and penetrate the deeper layers of the bodily tissues, it would begin to form insoluble salts by bonding to atoms of calcium and magnesium<\/a>, leaving the metabolic enzymes without their key elements. Due to the rapid loss of calcium and magnesium, the bones would then start to degrade, and the muscles (including the heart) would become dysfunctional, leading to the collapse of all bodily systems. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Belgian chemist Paulin Louyet, and his French colleague J\u00e9r\u00f4me Nickl\u00e8s were among those brave scientists who had exposed themselves to the hazardous influence of hydrofluoric acid in an attempt to isolate elemental fluorine (F2).<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Achievements of Henri Moissan<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In 1886, the French chemist Henri Moissan (1852 – 1907) embarked on solving what seemed to be an unsolvable riddle in the world of chemistry – how to isolate the pure elemental form of fluorine? Following the scientific claims of both Humphrey Davy and Andr\u00e9-Marie Ampere that there is an unknown substance in the fluoride salts that\u2019s triggering volatile reactions, Moissan attempted high-temperature electrolysis on the molten salts in order to trace the substance. Indeed, the resulting corrosion of the platinum vessels he had constructed after the electrolysis proved to him that he\u2019s on the right track to discovering something revolutionary in the world of chemistry. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his second attempt, this Parisian born scientist electrolyzed condensed hydrogen<\/a> fluoride at \u201350\u00b0C in a platinum<\/a> tube. The result was a steady stream of gas, confirmed by the Academy of sciences as the lightest halogen element – fluorine (F). <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1906, Henri Moissan was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry for the isolation of the element fluorine and the development of the Moissan electric furnace. Unfortunately, he enjoyed the honors for only two short months after the ceremony. Just like his fellow chemists, Louyet and Nickl\u00e8s, Moissan also had to pay the highest price for working with the most volatile and highly reactive gaseous substance. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How Did Fluorine Get Its Name?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Fluorine got its name after the suggestion of the British chemist Sir Humphry Davy. He found it suitable to name the new element after the mineral containing the elemental form of this halogen in great quantities, fluorite, as well as for its presence in fluoric acid. The origin of the name comes from the Latin word \u2018<\/span>fluere<\/span><\/i>\u2019, which means \u2018to flow\u2019. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Where Can You Find Fluorine?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Fluorine is a highly reactive halogen gas. Hence, it\u2019s widely distributed in nature and is produced in a lab. In nature, fluorine is found in rocks, coal, and clay. Dispersed in a wide range of minerals, fluorine is most commonly traced to fluorite, fluorspar (calcium fluoride), and cryolite. Fluorine also occurs in surface waters and groundwater, as well as a trace element in both humans and animals. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For commercial uses, the lightest of halogens can be also obtained by conducting electrolysis of a potassium<\/a> fluoride\/hydrogen fluoride solution (KHF2) in anhydrous hydrofluoric acid. China, Mexico, and Western Europe are where the world\u2019s largest fluorite mines are located. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Fluorine in Everyday Life<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This chemical element forms a long list of inorganic compounds with hydrogen, metals, nonmetals, and noble gases. Among them, fluorides have the most versatile use in everyday life:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n