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Fluorine is a chemical element; it has symbol F and atomic number 9. It is the lightest halogen [ note 1 ] and exists at standard conditions as pale yellow diatomic gas. Fluorine is extremely reactive as it reacts with all other elements except for the light inert gases .
Fluorine, in the form of fluoride, is considered to be a micronutrient for human health, necessary to prevent dental cavities, and to promote healthy bone growth. [28] The tea plant (Camellia sinensis L.) is a known accumulator of fluorine compounds, released upon forming infusions such as the common beverage. The fluorine compounds decompose ...
Fluorine's chemistry is dominated by its strong tendency to gain an electron. It is the most electronegative element and elemental fluorine is a strong oxidant. The removal of an electron from a fluorine atom requires so much energy that no known reagents are known to oxidize fluorine to any positive oxidation state. [20]
The fluorine mineral fluorospar was known as early as 1529. Early chemists realized that fluorine compounds contain an undiscovered element, but were unable to isolate it. In 1860, George Gore, an English chemist, ran a current of electricity through hydrofluoric acid and probably produced fluorine, but he was unable to prove his results at the ...
Fluorite is a major source of hydrogen fluoride, a commodity chemical used to produce a wide range of materials. Hydrogen fluoride is liberated from the mineral by the action of concentrated sulfuric acid: CaF 2 + H 2 SO 4 → CaSO 4 (s) + 2 HF. The resulting HF is converted into fluorine, fluorocarbons, and diverse fluoride materials. As of ...
It is the principal industrial source of fluorine, often in the form of hydrofluoric acid, and is an important feedstock in the preparation of many important compounds including pharmaceuticals and polymers such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). HF is also widely used in the petrochemical industry as a component of superacids.
(Reuters) - Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who heads the Department of Health and Human Services, has said U.S. President Donald Trump will call for an end to adding fluoride to public water supplies ...
Fluorine (9 F) has 19 known isotopes ranging from 13 F to 31 F and two isomers (18m F and 26m F). Only fluorine-19 is stable and naturally occurring in more than trace quantities; therefore, fluorine is a monoisotopic and mononuclidic element. The longest-lived radioisotope is 18 F; it has a half-life of 109.734(8) min. All other fluorine ...