Complex sentence: This colorless gas or liquid is the principal industrial source of fluorine, often in the aqueous form as hydrofluoric acid, and thus is the precursor to many important compounds including pharmaceuticals and polymers (e.g. Teflon).
Split into simpler sentences: This colorless gas or liquid is the principal industrial source of fluorine, often as an aqueous solution called hydrofluoric acid. It thus is the precursor to many important compounds including pharmaceuticals and polymers (e.g. Teflon).