Fluorine, elemental safety

Cleaning for fluorine service. It is important that materials that may contact elemental fluorine be thoroughly cleaned to remove any traces of grease or other substance that may ignite on contact with fluorine. Furthermore, it is important to passivate all surfaces that may contact fluorine. Refer to the manufacture s fluorine material safety data sheet for more information. The assembled anodes used in the laboratory were degreased by refluxing overnight with trichlorotrifluoroethane in an oversized Soxhlet extractor. 

Fluorine, the most reactive element known, is a dangerous material but may be handled safely using proper precautions. In any situation where an operator may come into contact with low pressure fluorine, safety glasses, a neoprene coat, boots, and clean neoprene gloves should be worn to afford overall body protection. This protection is effective against both fluorine and the hydrofluoric acid which may form from reaction of moisture in the air. 

A Caution Hydrogen fluoride and fluorine are dangerous materials. Exposure to them will cause severe, painful, and perhaps fatal injury. Exposure may not be evident for several hours. The procedures described here pose the risk of exposure to hydrogen fluoride and to elemental fluorine and should only be carried out by, or under the direct supervision of, qualified professionals. Qualified first aid treatment and professional medical resources must be established prior to working in the area. Prompt treatment is necessary to reduce the severity of damage from exposure and should be sought immediately following exposure or suspected exposure. Material safety data sheets are available from HF and fluorine suppliers. Their recommendations should be followed scrupulously. 

DesMarteau, D. D. et al., J. Amer. Chem. Soc., 1987, 109, 7194-7196 Fluorine is the most electronegative and reactive element known, reacting, often violently, with most of the other elements and their compounds (note the large MRH values quoted below). Handling hazards and disposal of fluorine on a laboratory scale are adequately described [1,2,3,4,5][6], and a more general review is also available [7], Safety practices associated with the use of laboratory- and industrial-scale fluorine cells and facilities have been reviewed [8], Equipment and procedures for the laboratory use of fluorine and volatile fluorides have been... 

Direct fluorinations with elemental fluorine and other powerful fluorinating agents can be carried out, but they are, to say the least, inconvenient. They are also potentially very hazardous for the inexperienced chemist and are best left to a fluorine specialist. Such reactions are, of course, carried out industrially, but using dedicated special equipment with rigorous safety control.)... 

Many types of ECSCs have yet another advantage, that is, their environmental safety. The fact is that, for example, billions of lithium batteries are thrown to garbage dumps or buried in the earth and pollute the environment after their lifecycle is over. Thus, such toxic elements as lithium, fluorine, sulfur, nickel, and so on are released. As opposed to this, the widespread types of ECSCs with carbon electrodes and aqueous electrolytes are quite environment-friendly, that is, practically safe. 

Gas-liquid-solid processes are possible by using either waD-coated catalyst or mini-packed beds. Numerous applications have demonstrated process intensification in terms of selectivity, space-time yield, and safety by use of gas-liquid microreactors, including fluorinations, chlorination, hydrogenations, sulfonations, photooxidations, and so on. This is achieved by enhanced mass transfer via the interface and through formation of thin liquid layers, which also give better transfer and allow conducting photochemical reactions more efficiently. Operation is now possible in new process windows with very aggressive reactants such as elemental fluorine or even under explosive conditions. 

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