fluorine

[ floo r-een, -in, flawr-, flohr- ]

/ ˈflʊər in, -ɪn, ˈflɔr-, ˈfloʊr- /

noun Chemistry.

the most reactive nonmetallic element, a pale-yellow, corrosive, toxic gas that occurs combined, especially in fluorite, cryolite, phosphate rock, and other minerals. Symbol: F; atomic weight: 18.9984; atomic number: 9.

Nearby words

fluoride number, fluoridization, fluoridize, fluorimeter, fluorinate, fluorine, fluorine dating, fluorite, fluoro-, fluorocarbon, fluorochemical

Origin of fluorine

First recorded in 1805–15; fluor(ic) + -ine¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for fluorine

The preparation of fluorine was finally accomplished by the French chemist Moissan by the electrolysis of hydrofluoric acid.
An Elementary Study of Chemistry|William McPherson
Aqueous potash does not form potassium hypofluorite when fluorine is bubbled into it, but only potassium fluoride.
Scientific American Supplement, No. 832, December 12, 1891|Various
There was a big one on Nifflheim, armored against the fluorine atmosphere and the hydrofluoric-acid rains.
The Cosmic Computer|Henry Beam Piper
Oxygen will combine with iron or lead or sodium, but cannot be made to combine with fluorine.
The Machinery of the Universe|Amos Emerson Dolbear

Fluorspar has already been mentioned as the chief natural compound of fluorine.
An Elementary Study of Chemistry|William McPherson

British Dictionary definitions for fluorine

fluorine

fluorin (ˈflʊərɪn)

/ (ˈflʊəriːn) /

noun

a toxic pungent pale yellow gas of the halogen group that is the most electronegative and reactive of all the elements, occurring principally in fluorspar and cryolite: used in the production of uranium, fluorocarbons, and other chemicals. Symbol: F; atomic no: 9; atomic wt: 18.9984032; valency: 1; density: 1.696 kg/m³; relative density: 1.108; freezing pt: –219.62°C; boiling pt: –188.13°C

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medicine definitions for fluorine

fluorine

[ flur′ēn′, -ĭn, flôr′- ]

n. Symbol F

A highly corrosive, toxic, gaseous halogen element. It is a component of many drugs, and its radioisotope is used in functional brain imaging and bone scans. Atomic number 9.

Science definitions for fluorine

fluorine

[ flur′ēn′ ]

F

A pale-yellow, poisonous, gaseous element of the halogen group. It is highly corrosive and is used to separate certain isotopes of uranium and to make refrigerants and high-temperature plastics. It is also added in fluoride form to the water supply to prevent tooth decay. Atomic number 9; atomic weight 18.9984; melting point -223°C; boiling point -188.14°C; specific gravity of liquid 1.108 (at boiling point); valence 1. See Periodic Table.