Fluorine is an extremely reactive chemical element with atomic number 9.
At standard conditions, pure fluorine is a toxic pale yellow diatomic
gas. Fluorite, the element's primary mineral source, was first described
in 1529, and fluorine was proposed as an element in 1810. As the
lightest halogen and most electronegative reactive element, it is
difficult to separate from its compounds, and several early
experimenters died or were injured in the attempt. French chemist Henri
Moissan finally succeeded in 1886 using low-temperature electrolysis, a
process still used today. Global fluorochemical sales amount to more
than US$15 billion a year, including in toothpaste and water
fluoridation, refrigerants, Teflon for electrical insulation and
cookware, pharmaceuticals, aluminium refining and steelmaking.
Fluorocarbon gases are generally greenhouse gases. Fluorine has no known
metabolic role in mammals, but a few plants and sea sponges synthesize
poisonous fluorocarbons to deter predators.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluorine>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1536:
King Henry VIII of England suffered a serious accident while
jousting, receiving injuries which may have caused his later obesity and
erratic personality.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_VIII>
1848:
James W. Marshall discovered gold at Sutter's Mill in Coloma,
California, leading to the California gold rush.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_gold_rush>
1972:
Japanese soldier Shoichi Yokoi was found in the jungles of
Guam, where he had been hiding since the end of World War II.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoichi_Yokoi>
1977:
During the Spanish transition to democracy, neo-fascists
attacked an office in Madrid, killing five people and injuring four
others.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1977_Atocha_massacre>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
rhombicosidodecahedron:
(geometry) An Archimedean solid with 62 regular faces (20 triangles, 30
squares, and 12 pentagons), 60 vertices and 120 edges.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/rhombicosidodecahedron>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
If you don’t want to be replaced by a machine, don’t try to
act like one!
--Arno Allan Penzias
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Arno_Allan_Penzias>
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