9 F Fluorine
Halogen, nonmetal, mass: 18.998 u, 1 stable isotope (19), abundance rank (earth/space): 18/22Click image to magnify. Natural fluorite, stained by impurities, 15 grams. Original size in cm: 2.5 x 3.5
Fluorine is the most chemically aggressive element. In pure form it is a pale, yellow-green F2 gas. It is extremely toxic and reacts with nearly everything, in most cases very violently. At contact with water, it forms the very caustic hydrofluoric acid, HF. Its salts (fluorides), especially fluorite (calcium fluoride, CaF2), which is shown here, frequently occur in nature as minerals. Fluoride is needed for bones and teeth, but quickly becomes poisonous if the dose is too high.
Fluorites gave the phenomenon fluorescence its name. Thereby, light is absorbed, then emitted with another (mostly longer) wavelength. Responsible isn't the fluorite itself, but inclusions of some lanthanoids and transition metals.
Another fluorite, 25 grams, 3 x 3.5 cm. Inclusions of europium2+ give it a purple color (left) and let it fluoresce blue under UV light (right).
Fluorine gas, but only as photomontage, because fluorine reacts even with glass. It could look like that (under a high pressure, otherwise fluorine is nearly colorless), before it would corrode the glass and the gas would be used up.
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Page last changed on March 05. 2016
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