描述
Fluroine, also known as bifluoriden or f2, is a member of the class of compounds known as homogeneous halogens. Homogeneous halogens are inorganic non-metallic compounds in which the largest atom is a nobel gas. Fluroine can be found in potato, which makes fluroine a potential biomarker for the consumption of this food product. Among the elements, fluorine ranks 24th in universal abundance and 13th in terrestrial abundance. Fluorite, the primary mineral source of fluorine which gave the element its name, was first described in 1529; as it was added to metal ores to lower their melting points for smelting, the Latin verb fluo meaning "flow" gave the mineral its name. Proposed as an element in 1810, fluorine proved difficult and dangerous to separate from its compounds, and several early experimenters died or sustained injuries from their attempts. Only in 1886 did French chemist Henri Moissan isolate elemental fluorine using low-temperature electrolysis, a process still employed for modern production. Industrial production of fluorine gas for uranium enrichment, its largest application, began during the Manhattan Project in World War II .