Fluorine gas is used to produced a rather exotic gaseous compound of uranium called uranium hexafluoride. Fluorine is also used to prepare a gaseous compound called boron trifluoride for detecting the presence of neutrons. Manufacturers of toothpaste add fluorine, in the form of sodium fluoride, to their products for protecting the hard enamel of the teeth. A plastic called Teflon, used for non-stick surfaces on frying pans, consists of long, chainlike molecules of carbon linked chemically to fluorine. Fluorocarbons, used as refrigerants and in aerosol cans, diffuse into the upper atmosphere and react with the ozone layer.
Hydrofluoric acid has the ability to dissolve glass and is used to etch designs on glass objects.