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I am found in toothpaste,
So it keeps cavities away,
and so shiny your teeth stay
I am a yellow gas |
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Historical Background
Fluorine is an element that was first discovered by a man whose name was Georgius Agricola, (1494-1555) in the 1500s, but he had no idea that he had discovered an element. He discovered Fluorspar, which is a solid mineral that contains Calcium fluoride (CaF2).
Then in the year 1670 a German glasscutter Heinrich Schwandhard discovered that if you would mix fluorspar and an acid you would create a substance that would make glass easy to etch (glass that can be drawn on).
Then on 1886 Carl Wilhelm Scheme (1742- 1886) predicted that there was an element that was going to be discovered on the periodic table. Finally a German Chemist, Henri Moissan (1852-1907) created a solution called hydrofluoric acid. He cooled that solution and then passed a current through the solution, which isolated fluorine. This is amazing to many scientists today because it is extremely difficult and dangerous to isolate fluorine even today. In 1906 Henri Moissan won the Nobel Prize because of all his hard work on his investigation and isolation of the element fluorine, and for creating a device that passes electrical current through an element, which is called electric furnace. |
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Hazards
Fluorine is very reactive with almost every element on the periodic table. Therefore Fluorine can ever react with the soft tissues in you esophagus and respiratory track. This yellowish gas can damage you respiratory track and irritate your eyes. It is very toxic and also very reactive when isolated. People should never go close to it unless they know what they are doing; it may even cause death or maybe serious injuries when not mixed with other elements. This element can even react with noble gasses at high temperatures or pressure. It is an ion that is highly toxic. |
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Industrial Uses
Fluorine is very important in the production of many products that we use more than twice in our daily life. Many compounds can be created from fluorine that can help us with our daily life. You can produce uranium from the compound fluorochemicals, which can also be used to put into plastic that will be exposed to high temperatures. Another compound that can be made from fluorine is Fluorochlorohydrocarbons, which are used in air conditioners and also in refrigeration. Hydrofluoric acid is acid is used to etch glass that are used for light bulbs. Fluorine as soluble is in drinking water and also used in toothpaste to prevent tooth decay, but if kids who are about to get permanent teeth use it then it may cause mottled enamel in the teeth. It will also help prevent. Fluorine can be used for nuclear research. Today it is being tried as a rocket power source, so that one day people would be able to go to space powered by fluorine. |
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Sources
Fluorine can be found in different crystals like fluorite and fluorspar. Many of the minerals that contain fluorine are found in he U.S.A, Mexico, Canada, U.K, Italy, and Russia. Fluorine is so demanded and so important in the world of industrial uses and importance to people that people produce over 4,700,000 tons of fluorine a year. They get 2,400 tons of fluorine gas a year also.
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Commercial Uses
Although Fluorine is a very toxic gas and also corrosive we put it in our mouths everyday. You may think that this is extremely toxic for humans, the truth is that it actually is very toxic if we put too much in our mouths. It is very popular in toothpast because it prevents tooth decay, and it is used in mouthwash, plus it is also found in out tap water. Fluorine is also very important in the production of aluminum and steel. Fluoride is found in all of these substances. Fluoride is made up of two Fluorine atoms by covalent bonds. |
Reactivity
Fluorine is a very reactive substance it reacts with most of the element. Fluorine has seven valence electrons and it always needs one more in order to become stable. Since it only need one electron in order to become stable it is highly reactive. It will never be found uncombined, or alone in nature. What is interesting about fluorine is that it is also able to bond with it’s self with by covalent bonds.
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Fluorine Table |
| Atomic Number |
9 |
| Atomic Symbol |
F |
| Atomic Weight |
18.998903 |
| Melting Point |
-219.67 Degrees Celsius |
| Oxidation Number |
-1 |
Fluorine will bond with lots of element, but Krypoton rarely bonds with any element except for Fluorine when pure. To learn more about my friend's element Krypton click here |
| Glossary |
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Noble Gasses – A group of elements in the periodic table, they are gases who usually do not combine with any elements because they’re valence electrons are complete, they all have eight valence electrons.
Respiratory Track- The respiratory track allows air to move from the nose to the lungs.
Esophagus- A muscular passage connecting the mouth or pharynx with the stomach in invertebrate and vertebrate animals.
Periodic Table- A chart of the elements showing the repeating pattern of their properties
Electric Furnace- An invention that isolates the element fluorine, it is a device that passes electrical current through a mixture of elements to isolate one curtain element.
Hydrofluoric Acid- Hydrofluoric acid is a solution of hydrogen and fluorine. It is very corrosive, but it is a weak acid.
You can also find other words you don't know if you click here |
| Bibliography |
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Barbalace, Kenneth L. "Element Fluorine - F." Environmental Chemistry. 2009. 25 Feb. 2009 <http://environmentalchemistry.com/yogi/periodic/>.
"Fluorine Element Facts." Chemi Cool. 25 Feb. 2009 <http://www.chemicool.com/elements/fluorine.html>.
"Fluorine." Periodic Table of the Elements. 15 Dec. 2003. Los Alamos National Lab. 25 Feb. 2009 <http://periodic.lanl.gov/elements/9.html>.
Frank, David V. Physical Science. Boston, Massachussetts: Pearson Education Inc., 2008.
Gagnon, Steve. "The Element Fluorine."Jefferson Lab. 25 Feb. 2009 <http://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele009.html>.
Knapp, Brian. Chlorine, Fluorine, Bromine, Iodine. Danburg, Connecticut: Paramount Printing Company Ltd, 1996.
Newton, David E. Chemical Elements. Farmington Hill, M
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