Element 9 · Halogen
Fluorine
The most reactive element on the periodic table — fluorine compounds keep your teeth strong and your frying pans non-stick.
Element Facts
SYMBOL
F
ATOMIC NO.
9
ATOMIC WEIGHT
18.998
CATEGORY
Halogen
PERIOD
Period 2
GROUP
Group 17
Origins
Fluorine was identified as a new element in 1810 by André-Marie Ampère from its presence in fluorspar (calcium fluoride). It proved extremely difficult to isolate due to its extreme reactivity — several chemists were injured or killed attempting it. Henri Moissan finally succeeded in 1886 and was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for this work. Early industrial uses included aluminium smelting (using cryolite, a sodium aluminium fluoride) and glass etching with hydrofluoric acid.
Modern Applications
Major current uses include fluorocarbon refrigerants (HFCs), PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene / Teflon) non-stick coatings, uranium hexafluoride in nuclear fuel enrichment, fluoropolymer insulation in electrical cables, and fluoride compounds in dental treatments and toothpaste.
At the Yard
Why QuickStop Metals doesn’t buy Fluorine:
Fluorine is the most chemically reactive of all elements — it reacts vigorously with almost every substance and is handled only as compounds. Pure elemental fluorine is a toxic corrosive gas produced and used only within specialist industrial facilities under strict safety protocols. There is no scrap market.
Market Value
Hydrofluoric acid (the main commercial fluorine compound) trades around £650–1,200/tonne. Fluorspar ore (the primary mineral) is £200–400/tonne CIF. Fluorine itself is not traded as a commodity outside industrial chemical supply chains.