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Electronic Periodic Table

FLUORINE INFORMATION

Element name: Fluorine

Element symbol: F

Atomic number: 9

Group: 17, halogens

Picture of element:

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(The ion of Fluorine exists in toothpaste)

Historical background: After studying fluorine compounds for two years, French chemist Henri Moissan isolated fluorine for the first time in 1886.  He did this by electrolyzing a solution of potassium fluoride in hydrofluoric acid, and this prepared the gas fluorine.  By continuing his studies, Moissan made a full study of the properties of the element and its reactions with other elements.  Moissan was rewarded for his work, as he went on to win the Nobel Prize for chemistry in 1906.  

Atomic mass: 18.998 amu

Melting Point: -219.61° C (-363.30° F)

Boiling Point: -188.13° C (-306.63° F)

Density in natural state: 1.51 g/mL

Where is it found: Fluorine occurs naturally in the combined form as fluorite, cryolite, and apatite. Most fluorine compounds are derived from fluorite, and it is mined in the United States. Fluorine also occurs as fluorides in seawater, rivers, and mineral springs, in the stems of certain grasses, and in the bones and teeth of animals. 

Natural abundance: It is the 17^th most abundant element in the earth’s crust

How is it obtained: Fluorine can be obtained as a highly reactive and corrosive pale yellow gas by electrolysis of hot molten mixtures such as hydrogen fluoride and potassium fluoride.  Once it has been obtained, Fluorine is difficult to store because it reacts with a lot of materials.

Explanation of Structure:  9 protons, 9 electrons, and 10 neutrons; 7 valence electrons; electronic configuration is (He) 2s² 2p⁵

List of isotopes: There is only one isotope of Fluorine that exists in nature.

Chemical properties: Fluorine has a cubic crystal structure, and is a gas at room temperature.  It is the most chemically active of the nonmetallic elements.  It is the lightest member of the halogens.  It combines directly with most elements and indirectly with nitrogen, chlorine, and oxygen. Nearly all compounds are decomposed by fluorine to form fluorides that are among the most stable of all chemical compounds.

Common/ important compounds involving the element: Hydrofluoric acid (hydrogen fluoride, HF or H2F2) is one of the most important fluorine compounds; Sodium Fluoride (NaF); Uranium Hexafluoride (UF₆); Boron Trifluoride (BF₃)