Fluorine

/ˈflɔːriːn/ noun

Definition

A pale yellow-green gas that is a chemical element (symbol F) and the most reactive and electronegative element known.

Etymology

From Latin 'fluorspar' (fluorite mineral) + -ine (chemical element suffix). Named after fluorite because the mineral was used in metallurgy as a flux, helping other materials 'flow' when heated.

Kelly Says

Fluorine is so reactive that it was isolated last by chemists even though its existence was suspected for centuries—it actually reacts with almost every element, and the first scientist to isolate it in 1886 was severely poisoned by it and died shortly after.

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