Production and use

Fluorspar is the most important source of fluorine. In the manufacture of hydrogen fluoride (HF), powdered fluorspar is distilled with concentrated sulfuric acid in a lead or cast-iron apparatus. During the distillation calcium sulfate (CaSO₄) is formed, which is insoluble in HF. The hydrogen fluoride is obtained in a fairly anhydrous state by fractional distillation in copper or steel vessels and is stored in steel cylinders. The usual impurities in commercial hydrogen fluoride are sulfurous and sulfuric acids, as well as fluorosilicic acid (H₂SiF₆), arising from the presence of silica in the fluorspar. Traces of moisture may be removed by electrolysis with platinum electrodes, treatment with elemental fluorine, or storage over strong Lewis acids (MF₅, where M is a metal), which can form nonvolatile (H₃O)⁺ (MF₆)⁻, salts, as shown by the following equation:

H₂O + SbF₅ + HF → (H₃O)⁺ (SbF₆)⁻.

Hydrogen fluoride is employed in the preparation of numerous inorganic and organic fluorine compounds of commercial importance—for example, sodium aluminum fluoride (Na₃AlF₆), used as an electrolyte in the electrolytic smelting of aluminum metal. A solution of hydrogen fluoride gas in water is called hydrofluoric acid, large quantities of which are consumed in industry for cleaning metals and for polishing, frosting, and etching glass.

The preparation of the free element is carried out by electrolytic procedures in the absence of water. Generally these take the form of electrolysis of a melt of potassium fluoride–hydrogen fluoride (in a ratio of 1 to 2.5–5) at temperatures between 30 and 70 °C (90 and 160 °F) or 80 and 120 °C (180 and 250 °F) or at a temperature of 250 °C (480 °F). During the process the hydrogen fluoride content of the electrolyte is decreased, and the melting point rises; it is therefore necessary to add hydrogen fluoride continuously. In the high-temperature cell the electrolyte is replaced when the melting point rises above 300 °C (570 °F). Fluorine can be safely stored under pressure in cylinders of stainless steel if the valves of the cylinders are free from traces of organic matter.

The element is used for the preparation of various fluorides, such as chlorine trifluoride (ClF₃), sulfur hexafluoride (SF₆), or cobalt trifluoride (CoF₃). The chlorine and cobalt compounds are important fluorinating agents for organic compounds. (With appropriate precautions, the element itself may be used for the fluorination of organic compounds.) Sulfur hexafluoride is used as a gaseous electrical insulator.

Elemental fluorine, often diluted with nitrogen, reacts with hydrocarbons to form corresponding fluorocarbons in which some or all hydrogen has been replaced by fluorine. The resulting compounds are usually characterized by great stability, chemical inertness, high electrical resistance, and other valuable physical and chemical properties. This fluorination may be accomplished also by treating organic compounds with cobalt trifluoride (CoF₃) or by electrolyzing their solutions in anhydrous hydrogen fluoride. Useful plastics with non-sticking qualities, such as polytetrafluoroethylene [(CF₂CF₂)_x]; known by the commercial name Teflon), are readily made from unsaturated fluorocarbons. Organic compounds containing chlorine, bromine, or iodine are fluorinated to produce compounds such as dichlorodifluoromethane (Cl₂CF₂), the coolant which had been used widely in most household refrigerators and air conditioners. Since chlorofluorocarbons, such as dichlorodifluoromethane, play an active role in the depletion of the ozone layer, their manufacture and use have been restricted, and refrigerants containing hydrofluorocarbons are now preferred.

The element is also used for the preparation of uranium hexafluoride (UF₆), utilized in the gaseous diffusion process of separating uranium-235 from uranium-238 for reactor fuel. Hydrogen fluoride and boron trifluoride (BF₃) are produced commercially because they are good catalysts for the alkylation reactions used to prepare organic compounds of many kinds. Sodium fluoride is commonly added to drinking water in order to reduce the incidence of dental caries in children. In recent years, the most important application for fluorine compounds is in the pharmaceutical and agriculture fields. Selective fluorine substitution dramatically changes the biological properties of these compounds.

Analysis

The accurate quantitative determination of the amount of fluorine in compounds is difficult. Free fluorine may be assayed by its oxidizing action on mercury, as shown in Hg + F₂ → HgF₂and by measurement of the weight gain of the mercury and the change in the volume of the gas. The principal qualitative tests for the presence of fluoride ions are (1) liberation of hydrogen fluoride by the action of sulfuric acid, (2) formation of a precipitate of calcium fluoride upon addition of a calcium chloride solution, and (3) decolouration of a yellow solution prepared from titanium tetroxide (TiO₄) and hydrogen peroxide in sulfuric acid. Quantitative methods for analyzing fluorine are (1) precipitation of calcium fluoride in the presence of sodium carbonate and treatment of the precipitate with acetic acid, (2) precipitation of lead chlorofluoride by addition of sodium chloride and lead nitrate, and (3) titration (determination of concentration of a dissolved substance) with thorium nitrate (Th[NO₃]₄) solution using sodium alizarin sulfonate as an indicator, according to the equation

Covalently bound fluorine—as, for example, in fluorocarbons—is more difficult to analyze and requires fusion with metallic sodium, followed by analysis for the F⁻ ion as described above.