Fluorine (F), most reactive chemical element and the lightest member of the halogen elements, or Group 17 (Group VIIa) of the periodic table. Its chemical activity can be attributed to its extreme ability to attract electrons (it is the most electronegative element) and to the small size of its atoms. Continue reading from Encyclopedia Britannica
The fluorine-containing mineral fluorspar (or fluorite) was described in 1529 by the German physician and mineralogist Georgius Agricola. It appears likely that crude hydrofluoric acid was first prepared by an unknown English glassworker in 1720. In 1771 the Swedish chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele obtained hydrofluoric acid in an impure state by heating fluorspar with concentrated sulfuric acid in a glass retort, which was greatly corroded by the product; as a result, vessels made of metal were used in subsequent experiments with the substance. The nearly anhydrous acid was prepared in 1809, and two years later the French physicist André-Marie Ampère suggested that it was a compound of hydrogen with an unknown element, analogous to chlorine, for which he suggested the name fluorine. Fluorspar was then recognized to be calcium fluoride. Continue reading from Encyclopedia Britannica
Fluorine is the most reactive and most electronegative of all the chemical elements. The only elements it doesn't vigorously react with are oxygen, helium, neon, and argon. It is one of the few elements that will form compounds with noble gases xenon, krypton, and radon. Fluorine is the lightest halogen, with atomic number 9. Its standard atomic weight is 18.9984 and is based on its single natural isotope, fluorine-19.
The 13th most abundant element in the Earth's crust is fluorine. It is so reactive that it is not found naturally in pure form but only in compounds. The element is found in minerals, including fluorite, topaz, and feldspar. Although fluorine is relatively common on Earth, it is rare in the universe, believed to be found at concentrations of about 400 parts per billion. While fluorine forms in stars, nuclear fusion with hydrogen produces helium and oxygen, or fusion with helium makes neon and hydrogen. Continue reading from ThoughtCo
