Fluorine has very few uses as an element because it is much too reactive for such applications.
One use, however, of elemental fluorine is in rocket fuels. The fluorine helps other materials
burn, somewhat like oxygen.
Most fluorine is used to make fluorine compounds. Fluorides are one form of fluorine compounds;
they're fluorine with a metal. The most familiar use of a fluoride is in toothpaste. Fluorides are
shown to help reduce tooth decay. The fluorides are added just as new tooth material is formed,
making it strong and resistant to decay. Fluorides can also be added to a water supply to help prevent
tooth decay. This process is called fluoridation and benefits mostly the younger citizens because
their teeth are still developing.
Fluorine was also used in the production of CFC's, discovered in the late 1920's by American
chemical engineer Thomas Midgley Jr. These compounds were widely used in cooling and refrigeration
systems, cleaning agents, aerosol sprays, and specialized polymers. However, it was later found
that these compounds were damaging to the Earth's ozone layer and were later replaced by a safer
substitute.
Nature:
Fluorine never occurs as a "free element" in nature. The most common fluorine minerals are
cryolite, fluorspar, and fluorapatite. The United States now imports the fluorine minerals it
needs because the last remaining mine closed in 1995. Fluorine is an abundant element in the
Earth's crust. It is estimated about 0.06% of it is in the earth, making it the 13th most
common element in the crust.
Cautions:Symptoms for overexposure are irritation of eyes, nose and respiratory tract and
eye and skin burns