Mendeleev's Periodic Table > F - Fluorine

F - Fluorine

The toxic gas, fluorine, was discovered by Karl Scheele in 1771 but not isolated until 1886 when Henri Moissan electrolysed potassium fluoride with some very sophisitcated and expensive equipment.
Fluorine is the most electronegative and reactive of all elements. It is a pale yellow, corrosive gas, which reacts with practically all organic and inorganic substances. Finely divided metals, glass, ceramics, carbon, and even water burn in fluorine with a bright flame. Until World War 2, there was no commercial production of elemental fluorine. Atom bomb projects and nuclear energy applications made it necessary to produce large quantities of fluorine since isotopes of uranium can be separated through the gas diffusion of UF₆. Reasonably safe handling techniques for fluorine are now available and one can transport liquid fluorine by the ton. Compounds of fluorine with noble gases such as xenon, radon, and krypton are known. Elemental fluorine and the fluoride ion (in quantity) are highly toxic.

Isotopes of F (Fluorine):