Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1898-09-16
DEVOURS LIKE FIRE.
THE WONDERFUL EFFECTS PRoDUo-
Ed BY fLuoRlNE, Z" ,,n


rhe Diamond Only Able to Absolutely Re-
sist This Powerful Solvent RESEARCHES
Into the Mature Of . HitheEso RoosIy
Known Chemical Element, rs .B.t
The aichefnists Of the middle ages be-
lieved that somewhere In the universe
was to be found universal solvent
which would dissolve the most refrao-
tory Substances as readily as water ais
solves sugar. They named their solvent
liquor alkaheat and what time they
could spare from the search after the
elixir of life and the philosopher
stone was spont In the endeavor 10 OBJ
tain 1t. Science has yet to prove, by the
way, that there was not more method
In the madness Of the alohemists than
IL generally supposed, for In the re-
markablo substance nuorine chemists
possess material that approximates very
closely to universal solvent Its chem
ical energy Is 80 fierce that, except gold
and platinum, nothing can resist It, and
even gold and platinum suooumbs to
fluorine in time. The mere contact of
most substances with huorins ID sum.
oient to canse not mere solution, but
light, flame and fierce detonations.
Dull. inert flint takes FIRE when exposed
to fiuorine vapor and becomes brill
liant inoandescent mass. Lampblaok
bursts into flame, while charcoal burns
with bright sointillationa. Only the
diamond ia able to resist this powerful
solvent, to which II does not suooumb
even at high temperature. The similar
element silicon, which can be obtained
IN crystalline form closely resembling
tho diamond, gives magnificent dis
play In the presence Of fiuorine, the
crystals becoming white hot and throw
ing showers Of fiery spangles In all di.
rections. The heat Ia 30 intense that the
crystals melt, showing that their tenn
perature has rcaohed 200 degrees O.
Phosphorus combines fleroely with
fiuorine. Prussian blue ON account Of
the cyanogen 10 contains, burns with Q
beautiful pink flame; while from Q
crystal of iodine placed in huorine vapor
heavy liquid distills with pale flame.
This liquid--an iodide Of fiuorine--
etohes glass, and II thrown into water
misses like hot iron. The last named
metal becomes white hot when exposed
to huorine; even iron rust behaves in q
similar manner Nearly all metals are
raised to vivid inoandosoenos In cur
rent OF tho ens. many appearing very
beautiful, especially aluminium and
zinc. II tho lntt,y be slightly warmed,
1t bursts into white flame too dazzling
to gaze at or describe.
AIthauuh a. haa Ao... I...a...
Gus states OF combination for many
years, having beon first discovered by
Schwankhardt Of Nuremberg, In 1870,
and redisooverod by Soheole in i77i,
huorine was not obtained az fiuorine In
tho free state until about six years ago,
when the French chemist Moissan sue.
oeeded In isolatiDg 1t by employing q
current Of electricity from 30 or 28
Bunsen batteries. The current was pass
ed through the compound Of fiuorine
and hydrogen known al hydrofluorio
acid, which Is similar TO hydrochlorio
acid. To improve the oonductivity Of
tho hydrofiuorio acid IL was necessary
to dissolve another fluOrine compound
In the liquid. As will readily be imag.
ined, IL IL not 30 difficult to obtain free
huorine an to keep II when obtained.
Every part Of the apparatus used by NJ
MOissan was made Of platinum, with
screw joints and washers of lead, which
swell ON contact with fiuorine, all the
shoppers being of huorspar. Fluorine
has n powerful affinity for silicon, one
of the principal constituents of glass, no
that 1t was impossible TO use glass YES
sells or tubes to contain the gas
Az regards the chemical nature Of
fluorine, II IL q gas at ordinary temper
ature and IL the lightest member Of the
series Of elements containing chlorine,
bromino and iodine The attraction Of
tiuorine for hydrogen exceeds that of
chlorine and IL NO great that IL a slow
current OF fiuorino gas DO passed into
tube OF huorspar containing drop Of
water a dark fog IL produced, which
changes presently to blue vapor con-
sisting OF ozone-tbe condensed form Of
oxygen. The last named substance ap-
pears to bo one Of the few materials
which has no affinity for fiuorine. Moth
ing IL observed TO take place between
them even when they are heated up TO
1000 degrees Il.
SO far all experiments had been con.
Quoted with nuorine gas, which. ut the
time 1t WAS isolated, resisted all at.
tempts TO reduce 1t 10 tho liquid state.
Six years ago, however, there was no
laboratory--suoh as that at the Royal
Notwithstanding powerful machinery
for producing liquid air or liquid oxy-
gen ut the command Of the investigator
In fact, liquid air itself was practically
unknown. by the aid Of this weapon
Professors Dewar and Moissan have sue
ceeded In liquefying fuorino. At the
extremely low temperature Of liquid
oxygen 1t was found that fuoriDe did
not attack glass. and IL was possible to
use glass vessels TO hold the newly lique-
lied element % u. Townsend In
knowledge 80.