fluorine

[ floor-een, -in, flawr-, flohr- ]

nounChemistry.
  1. 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.

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Origin of fluorine

1
First recorded in 1805–15; fluor(ic) + -ine1

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British Dictionary definitions for fluorine

fluorine

fluorin (ˈflʊərɪn)

/ (ˈflʊəriːn) /


noun
  1. 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

Scientific definitions for fluorine

fluorine

[ flurēn′ ]


F
  1. 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.

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