Periodic Table of Elements

Element Fluorine - F

Comprehensive data on the chemical element Fluorine is provided on this page; including scores of properties, element names in many languages, most known nuclides of Fluorine. Common chemical compounds are also provided for many elements. In addition technical terms are linked to their definitions and the menu contains links to related articles that are a great aid in one's studies.

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Overview of Fluorine

Fluorine's Name in Other Languages

  • Latin: Fluorum
  • Czech: Fluor
  • Croatian: Fluor
  • French: Fluor
  • German: Fluor - r
  • Italian: Fluoro
  • Norwegian: Fluor
  • Portuguese: Flúor
  • Russian: Фтор
  • Spanish: Flúor
  • Swedish: Fluor

Atomic Structure of Fluorine

Chemical Properties of Fluorine

Physical Properties of Fluorine

Regulatory / Health

  • CAS Number
    • 7782-41-4 cryogenic liquid
  • UN/NA ID and ERG Guide Number
    • 1045  / 124 compressed
    • 9192  / 167 cryogenic liquid
  • RTECS: LM6475000
  • NFPA 704
    • Health:
    • Fire:
    • Reactivity:
    • Special Hazard: OxidizerOSHA Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL)
      • 1 ppm = 1.55mg/m3 @ 25°C & 1 atm
      • TWA: 0.1 ppm
    • OSHA PEL Vacated 1989
    • NIOSH Recommended Exposure Limit (REL)
    • Routes of Exposure: Inhalation; Skin and/or eye contact
    • Target Organs: Eyes, skin, respiratory system, liver, kidneys
    • Levels In Humans:
      Note: this data represents naturally occuring levels of elements in the typical human, it DOES NOT represent recommended daily allowances.
      • Blood/mg dm-3: 0.5
      • Bone/p.p.m: 2000-12,000
      • Liver/p.p.m: 0.22-7
      • Muscle/p.p.m: 0.05
      • Daily Dietary Intake: 0.3-0.5 mg
      • Total Mass In Avg. 70kg human: 2.6 g

    Who / Where / When / How

    • Discoverer: Henri Moissan
    • Discovery Location: Paris France
    • Discovery Year: 1886
    • Name Origin:
      Latin: fluo (flow).
    • Abundance of Fluorine:
      • Earth's Crust/p.p.m.: 950
      • Seawater/p.p.m.:
        • Atlantic Suface: 0.0001
        • Atlantic Deep: 0.000096
        • Pacific Surface: 0.0001
        • Pacific Deep: 0.00004
      • Atmosphere/p.p.m.: N/A
      • Sun (Relative to H=1E12): 0.000363
    • Sources of Fluorine:
      Found in the minerals fluorite (CaF2) and cryolite (Na2AlF6). Around 2,400 tons of fluorine gas and 4,700,000 tons of fluorite are produced each year. Primary mining areas are Canada, USA, UK, Russia, Mexico and Italy.
    • Uses of Fluorine:
      Combines more readily than any other element. Used in refrigerants and other chloro fluorocarbons. Also in toothpaste as sodium fluoride (NaF) and stannous fluoride (SnF2); also in Teflon.
    • Additional Notes:
      Fluorine gas is highly toxic and corrosive. Even exposure to low concentrations causes lung and eye irritation. Metal fluorides are also very toxic while organic fluorides are often quite harmless.

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    References

    A list of reference sources used to compile the data provided on our periodic table of elements can be found on the main periodic table page.

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